With an entire warehouse of quality, low-priced commodities, including both over the counter and prescriptive hearing aids (and of course delicious thick cut bacon), many individuals will choose Costco’s cheaper price point as their entry into hearing care. Costco is a trusted name and within a few minutes of online price shopping it is obvious Costco’s prices for hearing aids are much lower than everyone else…by a lot. In fact, Costco is the #1 hearing aid dealer by volume (they sell more hearing aids than any other business), and it’s not even close.
There’s even a Costco down Mooney Blvd less than 2 miles from our clinic. We often have people asking us,
“What’s the difference between buying hearing aids from you and buying them from Costco?” or
“How do you stay in business when Costco prices are so much lower than yours?” or
“There’s no way you can be thousands of dollars better at hearing aids than Costco, right?”
The short answers are quite a bit, by following Audiological Best Practices, and according to a multitude of patients who have purchased hearing aids at both places, we’re absolutely worth the price difference.What we’ve found is Costco does work very well for some individuals, and it is not the best choice for others. Let’s dive into the details.
There are 2 areas of difference between what Costco and Visalia Hearing Center have to offer with respect to hearing aids: one is rather small, the product/tool/hearing aid and one is rather large, the professional services/expertise/best practices/after-care.
The hearing technology, the actual hardware that goes on the patient’s ears, is very similar between the two locations. However, similar does NOT mean the same. The hearing aid manufacturers that partner with Costco happen to be the same manufacturers that partner with private clinics. These hearing aid manufacturers created/acquired a different brand to place in Costco because they didn’t want to dilute the value of their Flagship Brand. After these manufacturers’ latest products have been in the private clinics, usually somewhere between 6-18 months, they will release a slightly defeatured version of their models under their sister companies for use in Costco. For example, Costco branded devices do not offer tinnitus features, nor do they have pediatric settings, whereas the Flagship Branded products in the private clinics do.
Another example is that while the receiver and wax traps for the ReSound and Jabra products are the same/interchangeable, the microphone covers that go on their micro RIE style devices are not compatible/cannot be swapped between the brands. Again, if products do not have all the same features or hardware, they are NOT the same. The chart below details the Flagship products in private clinics and the sister company branded products in Costco.
Note: Sonnova Products are currently not available at Costco
Overall, there are some small differences in the hearing aids/products available in private clinics like Visalia Hearing Center and at Costco. Since private clinics have access to fully featurized models and get the latest hearing technology sooner, it would be fair to say private clinics have a very slight edge in product/tool/hearing aids relative to Costco. I would argue though, that the very slight difference in products in no way justifies the substantial difference in the investment amounts. That’s why the adage “people, process, products” in that order is one of the most widely used metrics to assess the effectiveness & value of a business and their services.
That’s because in the grand scheme of things, the tools used to address hearing challenges pale in comparison to the importance of the person wielding the tool and the process those people create to ensure patient success. Or put another way, does a successful surgery depend more on the scalpel and operating room or on the skill of the surgeon and the team supporting him/her?
This is where we feel, and many others would agree, that the stark differences between a quality over quantity-based approach in a private clinic versus a volume based, quantity over quality-approach in Costco are seen. The best way to digest the service and philosophy of care differences between the two business is in a side-by-side comparison. Below is a comparison of Costco’s Premium Offering vs. Visalia Hearing Center’s Premium All-Inclusive Offering (for RIC style devices):
¹Utilizes the Cognivue Thrive Protocol
²Only salesperson at Costco can program devices
³Visalia Hearing Center incorporates the 5 Keys to Communication Success Aural Rehab Program
⁴For products from Cochlear Americas
⁵Through Allegro Credit
⁶Visalia Hearing Center verifies with the VeriFit 2 and validates using the HHI-A/E
⁷Visalia Hearing Center can bill all insurances as an out-of-network Provider provided that your insurance allows for out-of-network billing
⁸Costco stated they have loaners available on a “first come first serve” basis and does not guarantee a loaner will be available. Visalia Hearing Center confidently states that if a patient who is in their service package wants a loaner, they will get a loaner.
⁹A set of Rexton devices cost $1550 while Philips and Jabra devices cost $1650
¹⁰If you don’t have confidence that your new hearing aids are making an improvement in your quality of life within 2 weeks, something is wrong. It doesn’t take 45 days to figure this out and it sure doesn’t take 180 days.
Based off our side-by-side comparison, there are definite areas where Costco has some advantages relative to what Visalia Hearing Center offers:
- More expansive hours of operation
- Weekend office hours/availability
- Longer window to return hearing aids for a full refund
- Lower price point
However, when it comes to the breadth of hearing care services offered, the amount of face-to-face, hands-on, direct patient care you receiver, the qualifications/expertise/experience of the team providing your care, and the process that team creates to ensure patient success, there is no comparison between the two.
Key Take Aways between Costco and Visalia Hearing Center:
1. The products sold in both places are very similar, but they are NOT the same
a. Flagship Brand vs. Sister Company Brand
b. Private Clinics receive the latest in hearing technology 6 to 18 months before Costco
c. Sister Company brands are defeatured products. For example, there are no tinnitus or pediatric features in any Costco models.
2) A very big difference in the qualifications, education and experience of the team fitting the hearing aids:
Doctor of Audiology vs. a licensed retail salesperson
3. A very big difference in the service model and philosophy of care
a. Transactional care vs. patient-centered relationship-based care
b. Factory-line, mass market, quantity over quality approach vs. a concierge-like white glove level, quality over quantity approach
c. Focus on selling hearing aids vs. Focus on providing hearing care
d. Call us when you have a problem vs. proactive preventative maintenance
4. A very big difference in the amount of time spent with each patient:
Visalia Hearing Center spends more time accurately diagnosing and understanding your unique hearing challenges, more time reviewing your options and building a personalized care plan, more time accurately mapping out and precisely programming your hearing aids, more time spent educating you on how to care for and be successful with hearing technology and vastly more time spent with you after your purchase to ensure that your hearing is optimized for years to come. This is one of the starkest differences. Being sold hearing aids and then told to “call us if you have a problem” is not effective health care. Imagine if your physician, dentist or optometrist advocated for not proactively seeing you but only when you think you have a problem!
5. A very big difference in the price:
Yes, working with Visalia Hearing Center requires a larger investment than Costco
Here is the bottom line as we see it. If your goal is to buy a hearing aid in hopes that the hearing aid solves your hearing challenges, Costco is, hands-down, the best choice. They offer good products at a price point that is substantially lower than everywhere else. If the product does perform reasonably close to what you’re looking for, you’ve saved a lot of money. This approach does work for some.
On the other hand, if your goal is to optimize your hearing through world class hearing care, because you believe the person and team you work with are more important to a successful outcome than a tool, then Visalia Hearing Center is the place to be. There is a reason why our second largest source of new patients are local residents who were fit with hearing aids elsewhere, aren’t satisfied with their outcomes and are now looking for a different/better/more comprehensive approach. They will all tell you that working with an experienced Audiologist who knows what they’re doing makes the difference between success and failure with hearing aids.
