It’s important to treat hearing loss as soon as possible, but many people put it off for years because of stigma, distance from service providers and the prohibitive cost of hearing aids.

Many people are delaying treating their hearing loss after being quoted upwards of ten thousand dollars for a pair of hearing aids.

It’s not necessary to pay through the nose to get good hearing aids

Hearing aids have come a long way in the past 10 years, and price is no longer a good indicator of quality. Not every older adult needs, or can use, the extra options on models that cost them thousands more.

Why do companies still charge so much?

Hearing aid providers tend to provide a large range of hearing aid technology levels spanning from ‘basic,’ which costs a few thousand dollars to ‘premium’ which can easily cost over ten thousand dollars for a pair. The large range helps to differentiate the more expensive products as being ‘better,’ and encourages people to pay as much as they can afford, rather than simply making the good hearing aids affordable to begin with. It is often the case that the basic hearing aids do not have sufficient technology to address common hearing difficulties, so people have to get hearing aids towards the ‘premium’ end of the range. What is frustrating is that the manufacturing costs are about the same for each level in the range.

How is my company different?

I (with Professor Blamey) founded Blamey Saunders hears with the purpose to make high quality hearing aids more accessible for more people. We supply a small range of premium category hearing aids, but we charge much less than what you would pay in conventional clinics. By having a small range of just the premium hearing aids, we can charge less and deliver more.

Another big reason that we can do this is by cutting out the middle man and selling direct to the public, either online, over the phone or in our Melbourne or Sydney clinics, for almost one third of the price you’d expect to pay anywhere else.

Also, the fact that we are an Australian company, and have led the development of the technology in our hearing aids right here in Victoria means that you are always connected to the absolute experts in the field, so you get the best help and support.

If you need help, you get it from the people who invented the technology, not the people who were trained how to use it.

Are you looking into buying hearing aids for the first time?

Buying hearing aids can be daunting. Ask lots of questions, do research and walk away if a hearing professional makes you feel pressured to buy a particular brand or model – especially if it’s not within your budget or means. Look for transparency in pricing and remember there’s no such thing as a free lunch.