The Impact of Providers on Consumer Satisfaction and Price in Hearing Aid Purchases

Abstract

A consumer mail panel was used to locate persons who had purchased a hearing aid within the past two years in order to determine the relationship between price paid, and overall satisfaction as a function of use by a physician, an audiologist, or a dealer as the provider to services related to the purchase. A total of 874 consumers, 78 percent of whom were over age 60, completed the written questionnaire. Overall, 83 percent of the survey respondents were satisfied with their most recent hearing aid purchase. Those who consulted a physician for a medical exam prior to being fitted for and purchasing a hearing aid were slightly more satisfied than those who did not consult a physician (85 percent versus 80 percent). Consumers were most satisfied when they were fitted for and bought their hearing aid from an audiologist. The least satisfied respondents were those consumers who used hearing aid dealers or salespersons rather than physicians or audiologists. The most expensive hearing aids were sold by the least well trained providers, hearing aid dealers and salespersons. Herein, implications for public policy in terms of access to hearing aids by the elderly and level of training are discussed.