ComplaintsforLove To Hear Again Audiology

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased $6000 hearing aids from Love to Hear Again Audiology three weeks ago. However, the bluetooth on the device did not consistently work and after an adjustment from the office to try and make it work better, they still couldnt get the Bluetooth to work. When I returned them within two weeks of purchase and after working with them to adjust, they want to keep $600 for restocking! But the hearing aids didnt work. The owner responded to my upset email saying that iPhones dont work well with these hearing aids. But they should have told me that before I purchased them. Im on a fixed income and need to buy new hearing aids.

  

  Business response

  10/26/2023

  We have continued to respond kindly to ***************, although she has filed BBB complaint, filed a dispute with the credit card company trying to force a refund on our part, and repeatedly attacked our practice via ****** reviews, also having her family members pitch in on bad reviews, who are not directly involved nor were present for the purchase or follow-up appointments themselves. We provided the products & services, she read & signed our standard purchase agreement terms which include a re-stocking fee subtracted from full refund in the event of return of products (which covers our time/professional services), and we offered several times to help resolve the very COMMON issue that occurs with smart phones. I NEVER (as you'll see in our email correspondence attached*) told that the hearing aid model she had is not compatible with iPhones (the type of cell phone she uses); but merely tried to explain that after our office troubleshooted her Bluetooth call issue on the hearing aid side of things and determined the hearing aid hardware was functioning properly & software settings were also optimized for call streaming, that the likely culprit for intermittent or poor sound quality on Bluetooth call streaming to her hearing aids must therefore be a setting in her iPhone that we would now need to check. When troubleshooting hearing aids, AND phones, there are logical steps we have to take, which involve checking the hearing aid first (which we did in-office & even verified good function before letting her leave), THEN if problem is not resolved or persists later, we know to check the phone. That is the step we had finally come to, but before we could resolve that end of the issue, she returned the hearing aids completely and could not be persuaded to reconsider, even though she knew she'd be forfeiting a re-stocking fee per the purchase agreement she'd signed (attached*). It is interesting to us that she mentions that we are inflexible on our standard protocols/documentation, which is the very reason we have standards in place, so that all patients are subject to equal & fair treatment. She notes at the very end of her emails something to the effect that she's disappointed we cannot even compromise a little on prices etc, but in fact, she likely doesn't mention when filing complaints, that our office ALREADY at time of sale extended her 2 special purchase considerations in the form of: 5% Veteran (or ********** member) discount, and an extended 24-month interest-deferred financing (when our promotional/typical financing plan is only a 12-month same as cash). Let's allow the facts/documentation be the proof in the pudding vs. hearsay. Thank you.

  Customer response

  10/26/2023

  Complaint: 20689337
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I appreciate Love2HearAgain's response, however, they are missing several important points:

  #1. I have never received the refund I AM *********** by their contract.  They were to refund $400 of the $1000 paid, but I have received nothing to date.

  #2. When I returned the hearing aids, within the 30 day period, *** at the front desk received and checked the hearing aids, agreed that everything was returned properly, and had to go check with someone to see if there would be a portion of my refund kept by the company.  She had told me I would get a full refund of $1000, and didn't know, herself, that the company would keep $300/hearing aid, so $600 for both.

  #3. I asked *** when she told me about the $600 they would retain, if I could talk with someone about this, and she indicated Dr. ********************* but she was busy and would call me back.  She never called, so I wrote an email and then this just started emails back and forth.  No personal communication.

  #4. I am 73 years old, and made the drive from ********** to Grapevine, which is a full half hour drive all in traffic, 3 times- once to pick up the hearing aids, once to get them adjusted because I wasn't satisfied with the quality, and once to return them after calling first.  I'm fine driving, but try to stay to short drives, away from traffic when I can.  I felt that going back several times to adjust the hearing aids again and again would not help, when I should have been able between the first and second visits to get these adjusted so they were working adequately.

  #5.  I read the terms of the contract, but understood that the company would only keep the $300/hearing aid if I just returned them because I didn't want them.  At no time was I told that they would keep $600 if the hearing aids weren't working satisfactorily for the customer! I assumed if I wasn't satisfied with the product performance even after adjustment, they would refund my money.

  #6.  I live on a fixed income, Social Security and pension, which I'm grateful for.  But I don't have additional funds to spend on a product that is not working sufficiently for me.  The $6800 cost was reduced to about $6400 due to my Veteran status, and I appreciate that, but the cost is still very high for me.  They accepted Care Credit, and I was not a part of the terms Care Credit offered me, so I'm not sure the complaint the company has here.  I think that's between Care Credit and the company.

  #7. I only resorted to complaints to the BBB and poor reviews because I never got a call back, and only got emails that didn't resolve the problem.

  At the least I am *********** a $400 refund, which I am still waiting for, but I also believe if the company advertises their goal is to help people like me hear better, and in my case that didn't happen, they should in the interest of customer confidence and the possibility that I might be right, refund the full $1000.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  10/30/2023

  #1. I have never received the refund I AM *********** by their contract.  They were to refund $400 of the $1000 paid, but I have received nothing to date.

  (Our office processed and mailed a check on 10/2/23 to the address we have listed in the patient's chart; we were unaware that the $400 check was un-received/un-cashed to date; and will be cancelling the presumably lost ******************* a new one, as she called today & updated a Unit/apartment number that she had not provided to us at patient check-in).

  #2. When I returned the hearing aids, within the 30 day period, *** at the front desk received and checked the hearing aids, agreed that everything was returned properly, and had to go check with someone to see if there would be a portion of my refund kept by the company.  She had told me I would get a full refund of $1000, and didn't know, herself, that the company would keep $300/hearing aid, so $600 for both.

  (Our receptionist *** never sees or takes part in the medical contract signing, as she's a receptionist and books appointments and coordinates front office tasks like merely collecting payments at check-out; She is not privy to our back-office accounting and accounts balancing involving invoicing or refunds, so she would have no idea about how much is due back to the patient from the original total unless it's entered/figured into the account by myself, the owner/back-office manager and full-time provider. *** is trained to accept physical device returns, hand the patient proof of return, and let him/her know that a refund will be issued on our next billing/refunds cycle.)

  #3. I asked *** when she told me about the $600 they would retain, if I could talk with someone about this, and she indicated Dr. ********************* but she was busy and would call me back.  She never called, so I wrote an email and then this just started emails back and forth.  No personal communication.

  (Patient had called in asking, and yes, again I am the owner & back-office operations, but I see patients full-time during business hours also. I was unable to call her that day and didn't want to bother her too early before 8a or too late/dinner time after 6p, so simply sent an email to address concerns & explain a bit further while offering resolutions for her, which was me personally communicating within the very brief times I had between seeing patients. I do occasionally task *** with the task of calling patients back to relay my replies, because her position allows for time to call during normal day-time hours.)

  #4. I am 73 years old, and made the drive from ********** to Grapevine, which is a full half hour drive all in traffic, 3 times- once to pick up the hearing aids, once to get them adjusted because I wasn't satisfied with the quality, and once to return them after calling first.  I'm fine driving, but try to stay to short drives, away from traffic when I can.  I felt that going back several times to adjust the hearing aids again and again would not help, when I should have been able between the first and second visits to get these adjusted so they were working adequately.

  (We've replied multiple times explaining the steps of troubleshooting and it's out of our control if the processes/functions are working seamlessly in our office with adjustment to the programming and troubleshooting, but then phone connectivity is spotty again at a later time that we are not made aware of so we can help further. We can only help with step 2 of troubleshooting if we are made aware that step 1 was not successful longterm. We have remote/tele-health options for care, and had we been given opportunity would have employed that route to save another trip back to troubleshoot her phone again.)

  #5.  I read the terms of the contract, but understood that the company would only keep the $300/hearing aid if I just returned them because I didn't want them.  At no time was I told that they would keep $600 if the hearing aids weren't working satisfactorily for the customer! I assumed if I wasn't satisfied with the product performance even after adjustment, they would refund my money.

  (We encourage at signing to ask any questions if unclear. Again, a misunderstanding of our plain contract wording, does not nullify a legal document signature. The devices are functioning fine [diagnostic tests were run upon return of the product], and dis-satisfaction is the same as saying "I don't want them", so point #5 makes no logical sense).

  #6.  I live on a fixed income, Social Security and pension, which I'm grateful for.  But I don't have additional funds to spend on a product that is not working sufficiently for me.  The $6800 cost was reduced to about $6400 due to my Veteran status, and I appreciate that, but the cost is still very high for me.  They accepted Care Credit, and I was not a part of the terms Care Credit offered me, so I'm not sure the complaint the company has here.  I think that's between Care Credit and the company. 

  (We don't have an issue with CareCredit, nor offering our standard Military Discount, I had merely added in that part to the last reply to contest that we did take special consideration of patient's financial situation and offered a special, longer term, that we took a small burden for, so the emotional accusations that our office wouldn't be flexible in any way financial was also unfounded).

  #7. I only resorted to complaints to the BBB and poor reviews because I never got a call back, and only got emails that didn't resolve the problem.
  At the least I am *********** a $400 refund, which I am still waiting for, but I also believe if the company advertises their goal is to help people like me hear better, and in my case that didn't happen, they should in the interest of customer confidence and the possibility that I might be right, refund the full $1000. 

  (Again, we aren't some big corporation; we are a small woman-owned, private practice and I am both full-time care provider as well as handle back-office tasks as the owner, pre- & post-normal business hours; the courteous option was to reply back in any I could as soon as possible, which ended up being email that week as most patients do not appreciate calls that disturb sleep or dinner/evening routines; I apologize for not calling personally, but I have a life & small children I have to spend time with as well after an 11-hour day of seeing patients and juggling ownership/back office tasks).
  
  Thank you for your understanding ******. I pushed my morning patients today in order to make time to resolve your case once & for all. I would appreciate when your full refund is processed, as courtesy & to ****** no ill will, if you could kindly rescind any negative reviews/complaints across digital platforms ******** yelp, BBB etc), since we've come to special circumstance resolution. -Best of luck, Dr. ****** Washburn

  Customer response

  10/30/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩