Glover, a 73-year-old retired rehabilitation nurse who has been hearing-impaired for nearly 40 years, bought a hearing aid last year from Miracle-Ear Center in Weatherford. But she never could get it adjusted to her satisfaction.

Eventually, Glover went elsewhere and bought a second hearing aid for another $5,300 or so. She couldn’t get her money back for the first purchase because the time limit in which reimbursements are allowed had expired months before.

Her problem points to the most important advice for consumers when making purchases: Always understand the rules of a contract before you sign.

Under state law, buyers of hearing aids have 30 days to get their money back if they aren’t satisfied. The 30-day rule is common in most states to protect purchasers from making poor choices, but it also protects vendors, who say they cannot be expected to make returns on devices when the owners have had them for longer.

Miracle-Ear audiologist Debra Crawford, who has a state license, says she gave Crawford 45 days because Glover was leaving on vacation. Crawford showed me Glover’s contract, which said a reimbursement would be given, minus a $250 fee, within that period. Crawford had drawn arrows around that portion of the contract, something she says she does with all of her customers.

So Glover could have gotten most of her money back. But she didn’t ask for it in time.

The audiologist cited several ways she tried to get Glover’s hearing aid to work:

She contacted Glover’s previous audiologist in Iowa, where Glover used to live, to get the settings from Glover’s previous aid. But those settings didn’t satisfy Glover. Keep in mind that digital hearing aids are sophisticated pieces of equipment. Each major company uses its own software to program the devices, and what works on one brand won’t necessarily work for another. Glover’s old hearing aid was not a Miracle-Ear product.

Crawford said she also gave Glover a free set of ear molds — custom-made pieces that fit into the outer ear to connect with the hearing aid — worth $70. Crawford hoped that would correct the problem. It didn’t.

Crawford called in her store owner and an official from Miracle-Ear’s national headquarters in Minnesota for consultations.

The audiologist said she sent Glover’s device back twice to the manufacturer for further testing to make sure it wasn’t defective. She also asked another audiologist from Fort Worth to run Glover through a series of tests for a second opinion.

Nothing worked.

Glover said she kept hoping that something would fix her problem, and that’s why she never asked for a refund until it was too late.

Eventually, Glover went to another company that sold hearing aids using the same technology as her previous device. She bought one and now, she says, she hears fine.

Glover says she is disappointed that the company could never get her device to work. But she adds, “I’m not expecting my money back, because of the Texas law.”

Crawford, who according to state records has no complaints filed against her, said: “I’m not here to take their money. I’m a professional person.”

Customers, she adds, need to express their concerns as soon as possible. For any chance of a refund, they need to ask before the 30-day refund period expires.

“We went over and beyond to try and make her happy,” Crawford said, adding that short of a refund, she didn’t believe Glover would ever be satisfied.

Glover says, “I don’t want anybody to ever go through what I went through.”

In the know
The Texas Department of State Health Services oversees the hearing aid industry with two different panels.

The State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology regulates audiologists.

The State Committee of Examiners in the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing Instruments oversees individuals who sell the products.

Here is advice on purchasing a hearing aid, offered by the department’s assistant press officer Carrie Williams:

Read purchase contracts carefully before signing.

Be sure you understand what you are signing. If you don’t, ask questions.

Ask if you can take the contract home before you sign it for a family member or friend to review.

Carefully evaluate your decision before making any purchase.

Don’t feel pressured to sign something you do not understand.

If you have a complaint against a licensed fitter and dispenser of hearing instruments or against an audiologist, you can contact the state at 800-942-5540.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/15916017.htm