Misrepresentation by seller of hearing aids, how does this get resolved, anybody?@ links to members
What do you do when a seller of hearing aids does not tell you they need reprogramming at an Audiologist Lab for $1500 after 90 days in ad? First they offer initial programming if you provide Audiogram at no charge, I had to ship them back to get this service provided. HOWEVER, in all of the communications back and forth as well as in their flawed listing the seller states "Flagship Product", "Top of the line", "As new only opened to install microphone and to be tested"
They flat out lied and I only found out about it today after receiving a response from Corporate HQ of the hearing aid manufacturer whom I wrote to inquire "why are both hearing aids beeping three times each" I went through 10X new batteries only to discover THIS SELLER FAILED TO MENTION, INDICATE, DISCLOSE OR ADVISE POTENTIAL BUYERS THAT THE "NEVER USED" HEARING AIDS WOULD ONLY WORK FOR 90 DAYS.
Disgusting way to cheat people out of the little money they have trying to solve a hearing loss with false presentation. Any suggestions would be most welcome, I am beside myself right now and need this fixed.
Thank you in advance.
ford-lori
·2 years agoSimilar thing has happened to my mother with her hearing aids. She spent $2500 for them. That was a stretch for her. Within months the 3 beeps started saying battery. She took them in multiple times. The hearing audiologists just cleaned them and said she sees nothing wrong with them... blew her off multiple times when she continued to tell her they were not working. She was getting depressed because my siblings would stop calling her too bc she couldn't hear them. This is ridiculous! It's time we put a halt to this kind of treatment to elderly people too. I think she was sold a used pair too. If they don't give her a new pair, I'm taking them to court! (Manuf. and the company who sold them to her).
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoHow did you pay?
Do a chargeback on your credit card.
keithgronz
OP3 years agoRockstar - in process, thank you as well.
fab_finds4u
·3 years agoI'm not on either side but I have to say I've sold things that I didn't know what they were or what they did or know how they worked or how long they would work or if it needed a special tool or battery or adjustment, or needed to be calibrated. (sorry for the run on sentence)
I feel like as a buyer you need to research what you buy. I feel like many sellers get something, take a picture of it and describe what's printed on the box.
keithgronz
OP3 years agoFab - All he has listed for sale are hearing aids and accessories. He knew/knows perfectly well what he scammed me on. I bought them on May 4th, he has a last possible return date of May 22, why that's not enough time to even begin to hear the "Beeps" of a winding down "Demo ONLY" set for 90 days. The company that I sent my replacement hearing aids to for programming responded to my question about **bleep** is going on with the Unitron DX Moxi Fits? and I quote
"Hi Keith,
Unfortunately your issuing dispenser sold you a demo pair of hearing aids. Demo trials can’t be removed from demo hearing aids…only reset over and over again."
From the Manufacturer, and I quote
"Hello Keith,
The three beeps are an indication that the trial period of your demo hearing aids are coming to an end.
You will want to contact the dispensing clinic for further assistance.
Warm Regards,
Consumer Technical Support
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct: 800-679-4871
E-Mail: Info@phonak.com
Internet: www.phonak.com | www.hear-the-world.com"
So, being a reseller of hearing aids as well as a reprogrammer it is my impression he knew EXACTLY what he misrepresented. I think your statement of "Not being on either side" is actually kind of funny coming from a Seller.
keithgronz
OP3 years agoMs. Rodriguez you were very fortunate indeed. Roughly 20 years ago I was making good money and thought buying empty building lots would/should be good long term investments. I was right but used the wrong vessel to accomplish these tasks and inventory, eBay! Back then it was like the wild west and sellers posted property, got my money and disappeared! Almost 90% of the lots I bought were not build able. Either underwater, would not perk, required alternative septic at cost prohibitive levels, had unpaid back taxes, quit claim deeds that were worthless, zoning restrictions, located in an HOA and of course seller didn't bother to mention with insane carry costs for empty lots where they charged "standby water and sewer fees", Special Assessments, always claimed "clean title" when in fact not the case, etc., etc., etc. How about almost 200K down the drain, this is sad but true and there were NO Paths through eBay, Square Trade, PayPal to find the seller let alone hold the sellers accountable and most were there that day and gonzo the next. Take the money and run. Now I did not set foot on a single parcel prior to buying, 100% my fault. I believed what they told me and knew nada about real estate. Being completely naive and oblivious as to what to confirm, didn't insist on title searches, proof of the stated status of parcels, monthly carrying costs, copies of general and school tax bills and thought I was getting a fair deal in each and every case. As stated above, a very small percentage of these same properties (of course at the least expensive level) were able to be resold through real estate brokers and agents. The costs incurred to sell the majority of those same lots exceeded my actual purchase price as I had to pay for Title Searches to prove the parcels were indeed free and clear. In some cases surveys were required that were not furnished by the eBay Seller whom I purchased the parcel from, Commission to brokerage firm, some charged $1000-$1500 flat fee for properties that sold for under 10K or 10%-15% Commission for vacant land, etc., etc., etc. Then I also purchased Rado, Tag Heuer and Vacheron Constantin watches. Here again there were honest sellers and those that presented products as authentic only to be knock offs. Those sellers were gonzo when I tried to contact them to complain and return the fakes. I do have a few absolutely beautiful watches, unfortunately they don't help me hear any better. I guess the main point of my rambling is yes there are good people that conduct business on eBay. But unfortunately there are just plain bad people who present the face of a good person only to be a liar, fraud, fake, scammer, thief, etc. My life has changed in soo many ways over time yet I never lost my dignity, honesty, core values and sense of humor. I was cheated out of a bunch of money through eBay but nowhere near as much as the lying CEO's and CFO's of major index listed companies and I can't go there again even in conversation for sanity purposes. I have been in poor shape, good shape, great shape and pathetic shape financially over my nearly 65 years on this spec in the galaxy. As they say "It is what it is" at the same time, I am who I am. I don't appreciate being taken advantage of and being in the pathetic stage currently, even more so.
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoDon't let that seller getaway with this nonsense. Go get him/her!
marnotom!
·3 years agoAs a hearing aid user myself, I endorse @ms.rodriguez*' posts 115%. The services of a good professional audiologist are worth what you're paying them. Good luck recovering your funds.
megafo_8472
·3 years agoWelcome to fleabay - where the only rule that matters is to pay your listing fees.
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoYou calling this place fleabay is not helpful at all to the poster. Why are you here if you do not like it? I got stiffed once here for a 5 dollar cd. I looked at seller's feedback and it was over 20,000 and all positives when I bought the cd. A few days later, no cd and the seller has alot of negatives. He must've died and I decided that he or his family needed the 5 bucks more than myself. Otherwise, I have had very few issues here and when I did or my kids, the money was recovered EVEN when it was back in the days of money orders. There are millions of sellers here and the majority are honest. This place would not have survived if this were not true.
To the poster, chargeback time...
bonjourami
·3 years ago"Welcome to fleabay"
May be time to throw this corny old chestnut in the garbage.
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoDo a chargeback with your credit card company. Once you get your refund, you need to see an audiologist. Hearing aids are very expensive. My husband's cost $6,300. You need to get them from a professional. You will be visiting this person several times for the first year to get them programmed correctly. Everyone's hearing is different. The same person can have different hearing loss on each ear. Basically, the 6300.00 covers programming, cleaning, batteries and filters for 3-4 years. Then you have to pay a yearly fee. Very insurance companies cover it. Insurance usually just covers the ear exam. Anyway, you need a professional. My husband can do minor adjustments to his hearing aids with his smartphone. But every once in a while, he still has to see the audiologist because something needs to be programmed or updated. You just can't buy hearing aids online.
Costco sells some for around 3,000 but the problem with the Costco near where I live, the staff did not know what they are doing. They are kids. Hubby observed them one day trying to help a person who came in for another adjustment. The ones on duty that day did not know how to get the aids to work so that the person could hear better. So make sure you go somewhere that has a staff that knows what they are doing.
keithgronz
OP3 years agoMs. Rodriguez, Thank you for solid advice and direction in having hearing aids properly fitted. Unfortunately I am on Disability and therefore have Medicare as my health insurance provider. I am truly thankful for the coverage but there is no assistance on used or new hearing aids provided. At over $6000 on average as you explained and I researched, this cost is beyond my budget. What absolutely sends me is when a Seller does NOT DISCLOSE the limitations, flaws and restrictions of a hearing aid product and then ignores your multiple requests for an open line of communication. I purchased a pair of "As New, Top of the line, Flagship pair of Unitron DX Moxi Fit" from this Seller and now 75 days later I am informed by manufacturer directly the units they sold me are for demonstration purposes and will beep three times in each ear every minute after the 90 day trial period. I DID NOT BUY A PAIR OF HEARING AIDS and invest my limited funds for a product that lasts 90 days, instead should have been multiple years. Terrible experience and your suggestion will be investigated with my credit card company. I have "BEEN HAD NOW ONE TOO MANY TIMES" Thanks again!
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoThat seller was deceitful. Did you use Paypal? If yes, go and open a case in paypal. Explain what happened. Prepare the hearing aids to be shipped back to the seller. IF I recall correctly, the buyer will need to pay the return shipping and make sure that you get tracking AND YOU MUST GIVE PAYPAL that tracking #. It would go somewhere in the case once you open it. Remember, it's ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED.
You can't open it on Ebay because more than 30 days have passed. But you get 180 days under paypal.
Now if you used a credit card to fund the paypal payment, this would be your last bite of the apple. Wait until the paypal case resolves. You need to go back to the case BUT remember, that you only get 180 days of buyer protection after you received the item. Make sure that you make a copy of the original listing and that it shows the date that the item arrived. Go to the library and get a print out of the 2 pages. Or if you can take photos of the actual listing and also the page that shows the tracking # and when it arrived.
If you see that you are close to the 180 days and Paypal still has you waiting, then go directly to the credit card, do what is called a chargeback. They should cover your back. You will find the telephone number on the back of the credit card.
My husband went to a private hearing aid company and they were merged in HEARING LIFE. My husband's hearing loss is PROFOUND. A cheap hearing aid would not work for him. If you have great credit, you can get financing from them. With hearing loss, you have no choice. If you have kids, ask them for some help in buying these instead of getting presents like another tie, etc.
Unavailable member
·3 years agoHearing aid prices have crashed - nowhere near as expensive as they used to be. Regulatory changes have made them cheap recently.
keithgronz
OP3 years agoMs.Rodriquez, I was on a chat with my bank for almost an hour supplying documentation and competing required forms for the dispute of charges. It was a little difficult as this situation did not fall into any of their potential responses. Lots of explaining and the agent relayed "first time I ever had a dispute filed quite like this" hahahaha I said, I know, right?!? Thank you very much for your advice and direction, greatly appreciated. Only good things to you and yours.
klhmdg
·3 years agoI would try my CC company.
The seller may not have "lied" -
Theres no saying they knew that they only worked for 90 days.
It seems the company should have this information on their site and if they didnt, how could the seller know?
Your best option is your CC company.