1.8K views
8 comments

I purchased a $5,000 + pair of Audibel hearing aids from an Austin, TX dealer and was pleased with the adjustments made for about 3 years,including a 2 year warranty extension. When I relocated to Staten Island, N.Y.

I requested that I be given my records and the necessary access code so that I could continue to receive my service in N.Y. I was then told, for the first time, that the code could not be released to me but would be to whichever Audibel dealer I chose in N.Y.

Problem is that there is one listing for an authorized Audibel dealer in Staten Island and two in Brooklyn and they all appear to be the same dealer albeit under different names. To make matters worse, their reputations as rip-off dealers is among the worst and cautionary warnings are on the internet. There are no other dealers within a 50 mile radius of my home.

Audibel' business policy is to ignore the lack of responsible service and hold onto its customers as prisoners of the company. If adequate service is unavailable, the only responsible thing to do is to release the customer's code and records, so that service can be continued elsewhere.

Beware being caught in this Catch 22 net. The code and records belong to the customer who paid for them and not a means to enforce company loyalty.

Monetary Loss: $5000.

Do You Have Something To Say ?
Write a review

Comments

chat-icon

Please avoid publishing any personal information and promotional content

You will be automatically registered on our site. Username and password will be sent to you via email.
Post Comment
Guest

We understand that people move outside our service areas, though with over 1300 locations around the country this is not common. You can also have the code released to any Starkey, Nutone, MicroTech or most Audigy dealers. The nearest one can be found on the respective web site.

Peg Krq

Hi, I am currently a student at Cornell University looking into an Audibel Fraud that occurred at their Syracuse location. Would you be able to provide me with some more information about why you believe the people in the NY locations you talked about were ripping off customers?

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Peg Krq

I would like to comment on Audibel Hearing aids. I, for some reason starting losing my hearing in my mid 40's.

I have been tested by specialists. No one could explain to me why I've lost my hearing. I ended up going to Audibel thinking that these would be the 'best' hearing aids. I really don't hear any different than before I started using them.

They have been adjusted countless times. The reason I bought them is because I wanted to hear what I was missing. $6,000.00 later I still cannot hear what I needed them for initially. To make matters worse, my elderly mother went to them for a hearing test.

Needless to say I could not go with her that day by my father was with her. She got talked into buying hearing aids for $7,000.00. If I were with her she would not have them right now because she hears better that I can.

She is realizing that she didn't need them and that she was talked into this and stuck with this outrageous bill! HELP!!

General Iom
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1169431

Your mother would have had 30 days to return. It is a law. She would have gotten her money back.

Guest

Audibel hearing aids need a special software that is only available to Audibel dealers. I was told this by an audiologist that does not sell Audibel, since they could not adjust the aids, even though they sell the Starkey brand which is the equivalent models made by the same company (Starkey).

Even though they are close to identical and the same manufacturer they are programmed with different software so a Starkey selling audiology office cannot program Audibel and an Audibel hearing office cannot program Starkey.

So you have no other option other than to go to an Audibel dealer or change hearing aids. If I were you and there were no local dealers you liked, I'd at least call Starkey and let them know of this and see if there is any way you could exchange them for equivalent Starkey models.

Guest

First of all I am not sure of what "code" you are referring to, could it be the serial numbers on your hearing aids? If you do not have a Audibel dealer locally you are able to utilize any other hearing aid dealer in your area.

It does not have to specifically be an Audibel dealer. All dealers have computer software for all different brands of hearing aids and if they do not have the software they can order it. You may be charged an office visit fee from another dealer that depends on their office policy. You are correct, your records do belong to you and those should be given to you when you transfer or move.

I am sorry you have had this bad experience however not all Audibel dealers are bad. You say "Audibel' business policy is to ignore the lack of responsible service and hold onto its customers as prisoners of the company." I can assure you this is not true and again I am sorry you had a bad experience.

Guest

This is why you take them to court.

You can do this by "proxy" by filing a lawsuit against their authorized dealer in your area.

Understand, you may lose.

The court MAY order you to pay costs and you MAY suffer a (counter)judgment.

THIS BTW is how companies frighten consumers into not exercising their rights in such cases.

Because American consumers are such sheep, we are walked on all the time by companies like this one. Meanwhile, they do stuff like this (and build in obsolescence) and get away with it because well, It'd just be too mean to do that, or time-consuming, or whatever the other excuses are.

Me, I take them to court.

Guest

Overpriced!

Audibel Reviews

  1. 27 reviews
  2. 7 reviews
  3. 4 reviews
  4. 7 reviews
  5. 8 reviews
Audibel reviews