Hear At Home vs. Costco Hearing Centres

by Jennifer Abbott | Jun 28, 2023 | Client Resources, Hearing Aids, Industry News

If you’ve recently been questioning whether you have a form of hearing loss, chances are you’ve been conducting online research about hearing aids as well.

We understand that price may be your top consideration, potentially outweighing the importance of choosing a local hearing centre.

However, for your research to be accurate, it’s crucial to understand the pros and cons of purchasing hearing aids from a local hearing professional versus a franchise like Costco.

In this article, we have compiled all the advantages and disadvantages of buying from a big-box store. By exploring this comprehensive information, you’ll be equipped to make an informed decision when the time comes to select where you get your hearing aids from.

Understanding Hearing Aids vs. Hearing Care

When seeking a solution for your hearing loss, it’s crucial to understand the difference between simply buying hearing aids and investing in comprehensive hearing care. These include:

Holistic approach:

Comprehensive hearing care involves a broader perspective that goes beyond simply providing hearing aids. It focuses on addressing your hearing health as a whole, considering factors such as lifestyle, communication goals, and overall well-being.

Professional expertise:

Seeking comprehensive hearing care involves consulting with qualified professionals, such as hearing aid practitioners, who have extensive training and expertise in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing hearing loss.

Customized solutions

A comprehensive approach ensures that your hearing care is tailored to your specific needs. It includes detailed assessments, advanced testing, personalized fitting and programming of hearing aids, and ongoing support and follow-up care.

Continuity of care:

Comprehensive hearing care involves building a long-term relationship with your hearing care provider, ensuring consistent monitoring, adjustments, and maintenance of your hearing aids as needed. This ongoing care ensures optimal performance and maximizes your overall hearing experience.

At Hear at Home, we believe in the importance of providing ongoing hearing care. Here’s how our philosophy sets us apart from retail chains like Costco.

Specialized Hearing Clinic vs. Retail Outlet

Hear at Home is dedicated entirely to hearing care, while Costco is a retail warehouse offering a variety of products across different categories. Our specialist services allow us to provide more comprehensive and focused care.

We’ve put together a comparison table to show you the key differences between Hear at Home and Costco so you have a better idea of what to expect from each:

Comprehensive Hearing Evaluations

We can bring the hearing test to you! Typically, a hearing test involves being placed in a soundproof booth and wearing high-quality headphones, which is a service we provide in our clinic. However, we now also have the capability to conduct these tests in the comfort of your own home, utilizing a quiet room.

During the test, your hearing specialist will use an audiometer to deliver a series of sounds or spoken words at different frequencies and volumes through the headphones.

You will be asked to indicate whenever you hear a sound. Based on your responses, the results will be plotted on an audiogram, which helps determine the extent of any hearing loss you may have.

By offering in-home testing, we aim to make the process more convenient and comfortable for you. You can receive a comprehensive assessment of your hearing abilities without the need to visit a clinic, ensuring a personalized and accessible experience.

Our in-depth evaluations allow us to better understand your unique hearing health situation and recommend the best action.

In contrast, Costco offers basic hearing tests focused mostly on the need for hearing aids.

Expertise: Hearing Care Professionals vs. Retail Staff

Hear at Home is staffed by a team of hearing care professionals who are experts in their field.

Our team have the knowledge and skills to answer all your queries, not just about the devices, but about any questions you might have related to hearing loss.

Educating Our Community

At Hear at Home, we take the time to explain the results of your hearing tests, discuss your options, and answer any questions. This educational component is often lacking in retail environments like Costco, where the primary goal is sales.

We provide a range of educational opportunities, including webinars and in-person talks, that delve into the complexities of hearing loss and other intriguing topics related to navigating the challenges of aging gracefully.

Our webinars offer the convenience of online participation, allowing you to join informative sessions from the comfort of your own home.

Additionally, we host in-person talks where you can engage in face-to-face discussions.

These talks explore captivating subjects related to the journey of getting older, providing valuable information and practical tips for a fulfilling and vibrant life. We cover a variety of subjects, including the intricacies of hearing loss and valuable insights on thriving as you age.

Through these educational events, we aim to empower you with knowledge, address your concerns, and offer guidance.

A Personalized Solution

We partner with leading manufacturers and provide a broad range of hearing aid choices, allowing us to recommend the best device tailored to your lifestyle, hearing level, and budget. Our aim is to provide personalized solutions that will serve you best in the long run.

In addition to assisting you in selecting the appropriate technology, our team of hearing care specialists goes the extra mile to ensure a comprehensive experience.

Custom Fitting and Adjustments

Once you have chosen your new hearing aids, our specialists will program them to specifically address your unique hearing loss requirements. Furthermore, we provide thorough training on how to properly insert and remove your hearing aids, not just for you but also for your family and caregivers.

We understand the importance of proper maintenance, so we take the time to educate you on the correct cleaning and care techniques for your hearing instruments. Additionally, we guide you through the process of changing batteries and equip you with the knowledge to troubleshoot common issues that may arise.

Our goal is to empower you with the skills and knowledge necessary to make the most of your hearing aids. By providing comprehensive education and support, we ensure that you have the tools to optimize your hearing experience and overcome any challenges that may arise along the way.

Long-Term Support and Care

Hear at Home sees all patients as part of our family. We value you beyond your initial purchase and provide ongoing care, treatment, and support to ensure the optimal functioning of your hearing aids.

Lifetime Service

We believe that achieving better hearing is a journey, not a one-time event. Therefore, we provide lifetime service and regular follow-ups, a service that’s not typically offered by retail outlets like Costco.

Value for Money

While Costco’s prices may start lower, we believe that the additional services and care we provide make Hear at Home a better value for your investment in the long run.

Warranties and Repairs

Both Hear at Home and Costco offer warranties on their products. However, Hear at Home provides loaner hearing aids while yours are being repaired, minimizing any inconvenience.

Local Ownership and Operation

By choosing Hear at Home, you’re supporting a locally owned and operated business. We’re invested in our community, and we’re always here when you need us. In contrast, Costco is a multinational corporation with stores across the country.

A Five-Star Reputation

At Hear at Home we pride ourselves on maintaining a strong reputation for delivering high-quality hearing care across Greater Vancouver. With over 100 five-star Google reviews, we’re known for our excellent service and dedication to improving the lives of our patients and their families.

Focused on Families

We understand that hearing loss impacts not just the individual, but also their family. Our approach is holistic, and we work extensively with families to find convenient visit times and provide continuous care to all members. This makes us different from larger retailers who may not offer such personalized service.

Trusted by Care Facilities Across Greater Vancouver

Our reach extends to numerous care facilities and assisted living facilities across Greater Vancouver. This extensive network of relationships underscores the trust placed in Hear at Home by hundreds of residents and carers.

Evening and Weekend Appointments Available

We understand that traditional appointment times might not work for everyone. For those helping a loved one navigate their hearing health journey, we offer evening and weekend appointments upon request.

Making the Choice That’s Right for You

We hope that this comprehensive comparison has clarified the key differences between Hear at Home and Costco.

Please contact us if you have any more questions or if you’d like to schedule a hearing assessment.

We look forward to serving you as your trusted hearing care experts.

Request a Callback

Do you know somebody that needs to see this? Why not share it?

Jennifer Abbott

Jennifer Abbott brings over 25 years of experience in business. She has worked in multiple industries, including insurance brokerage, aviation, and health. Her career journey enabled her to acquire impeccable skills to help people find solutions in any situation. Jennifer is well travelled. She has lived and worked in Dubai for award-winning Emirates Airline. Jennifer has enjoyed working in a multicultural environment. Her offshore work empowered her to learn about various cultures from over 100 different nationalities. Upon her return home, Jennifer pursued her studies as a Hearing Aid Practitioner. While working in a hearing clinic, she became aware of some people’s challenges getting to their appointment. She realized that those people were not getting the proper hearing aid help they needed, which compromised their hearing. People’s struggles inspired her to establish the first unique 100% mobile hearing clinic in the lower mainland. As the founder of Hear at Home Mobile Hearing Clinic, Jennifer’s mission is to improve her client’s quality of life at any age. She has in-depth experience with hearing testing fitting, recommending hearing aids and working with older populations suffering from cognitive decline and Dementia.

Request a Callback

"*" indicates required fields

The Hear at Home Promise

Our Pinky Promise to You

Your partner for life – as a locally owned and independent business, you’ll have the confidence that we’ll be here long into the future to be your hearing care partners for life. We’re not a pop-up business that will be gone tomorrow.
Access to all levels of technology – as an independent business, we will help you to find the right technology for your unique needs through our wide range of partnerships with major manufactures. Unlike many others, you’re not limited to just one manufacturer.
Honesty and integrity – our 14 year reputation has been built based on always doing the right thing. You’ll benefit from transparency, honesty and the highest levels of integrity.
Benefit from us helping thousands of local people – with thousands of delighted patients since 2009, you will benefit from partnering with the highest-rated team of hearing care experts in Greater Vancouver that have helped many others to achieve the outcomes that you’re looking for.

Categories

				L Ng			

							My mom has hearing impairment that must have been there for a long time but got overlooked, she recently moved into a nursing home in Richmond. We were in the market looking for getting her ear properly tested and find a device that fits both her hearing needs and our budget. My mom has limited mobility so finding out Hear At Home Mobile clinic will come to her is absolutely thrilled. Jennifer responded promptly upon my initial inquiry and appointment was setup within a week.  Jennifer is very friendly, patience and accommodating with my mom when testing her (mom doesn’t speaks any English). She explains in detail the test results, types of option available out there, and help us make an informed decision with her professional expertise and experience. Jennifer even goes to extra miles to provide alternative consultation via video call to walk me through the steps trouble shooting and resetting the device after we started using it for 2 months. I explained and showed her the device condition on the video call, she was able to give a diagnosis as well as guide me through the reset process. In just a few minutes the issue was resolved. It was just a technical glitch and a hard reset is all it takes for it to return to working mode again. Jennifer is certainly professional and resourceful. We have an exceptional positive experience with Hear At Home Mobile Hearing Clinic and Jennifer is amazing helping us during the entire course, we would highly recommend her service to anyone who needs hearing aids to be fitted with a caring professional.
read moreread less
 08/11/2022

				Laurie MacCallum			

							After years of mom refusing to wear hearing aids, we finally have a pair that are comfortable, easy to wear, and easy to charge.  Jennifer was thorough and thoughtful in her recommendation and found us the perfect hearing aids - follow up was very strong as well. We are very satisfied with the service and product.
read moreread less
 27/01/2022

				Darrell			

							Thanks to Hear at Home Mobile Hearing Clinic and Jennifer Abbott my 94-year-old mother is hearing better than she has in years and is enjoying it. Despite the fact that I live in Victoria and my mother lives in Vancouver, Jennifer made it easy for me make all the arrangements from a distance.  Jennifer: •	deals well with the elderly and cares about her clients •	takes charge and manages all the details •	is very thorough: she gave me regular updates by telephone and email on how she was progressing. She emailed me photographs of the devices we had purchased so I could inspect the product. •	made a video clip – and posted it on YouTube – that illustrated how the hearing aids were functioning with my mother and giving very clear instructions on how to use the external microphone accessory we ordered, and demonstrating its effectiveness. This has been invaluable. I sent the YouTube link to family and friends and now they all know how to use the microphone when they visit.  Jennifer is filling an important niche for people who are homebound or have limited mobility. She went the extra distance to make it easy for me to remotely arrange for improved hearing for my mother. And she delivered results!  Darrell Victoria
read moreread less
 27/10/2019

				Adam Woodall			

							Such a fantastic experience working with Jennifer at Hear at home! She really took the time to understand what was going on with my hearing physically and mentally. She went above and beyond to give me the highest quality care. Highly recommended!
read moreread less
 27/02/2022

				Janice Porter			

							Jennifer is a true professional and a stand out in her field.  I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone in need of hearing services.  She is most caring, and considerate, and will go out of her way to accommodate her clients.  Jennifer has done a lot to build her reputation in her community - in particular she has successfully organized and executed a Seniors Flash Mob event (more than once) - coordinating many seniors and local businesses to put on an amazing event each time.  Kudos!
read moreread less
 29/02/2016

				Ted			

							The delivery of the presentation was excellent, my knowledge was greatly improved and I’d attend another event in the future.
read moreread less
 20/02/2023

				Janet Pursell			

							After my family noted that they had to repeat things to me and I had also noted that I was missing parts of conversations, I contacted Hear At Home for assistance.  I encountered professional, friendly and personalized service which included a hearing assessment, education on hearing loss and a review of hearing aid options.  I found out that my hearing loss was limited to one ear and I was fitted with a hearing aid that is so small that it is almost invisible!  I can now hear much better in social and work situations and would highly recommend Hear At Home for its exceptional service! 

Thanks Hear At Home!
read moreread less
 24/01/2022

				Harry Haley			

							I live in Richmond and over the 4 years of using hearing aids I extremely happy with the prompt service that I have received from Hear at Home.  I email Hear at Home when I have a question or need help adjusting my hearing aids and I receive replies back the same day answering my questions.  Further, I am able to make appointments at convenient locations and times to assist me.  In addition, Hear at Home taught me how to use the many features on the hearing aids so I can better utilize them so I can enjoy my activities much more.  I will buy my next set of hearing aids from Hear at Home.
read moreread less
 04/10/2017

				Suzanne Allan			

							Jennifer has gone above and beyond our expectations. She is so caring, professional and respectful. She knew just how to talk to my 88 year old father to help him feel comfortable with his first hearing aids, which wasn't easy. Even if you don't have limited mobility I would recommend her personal touch over a clinic!
read moreread less
 07/11/2017

				Cath			

							I just wanted to say that we (my sister Deb and I ) really enjoyed your and Karen's presentation and the information was very helpful. We are trying to support our Dad, who is 90 and looking after our Mom, who is 89 and struggling with dementia. We will follow through with the suggestions and share them with our Dad.

Hopefully, we'll see you both in person one day soon!

Take care and thanks,
read moreread less
 20/02/2023