ComplaintsforColumbia Hearing & Balance Center

• Initial Complaint

  01/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My wife has ******* Hearing aids model Livio ****. We purchased in 2021 in ******* where we lived at the time. October 2022 we moved to ******. July 2023 one unit quit charging and eventually quit altogether. I searched the internet for an authorized dealer and found Columbia Basin. I called on behalf of my wife (her aids not working). I reported the issue and said I would like to drop it by for a repair estimate. I was told we would need an appointment and a hearing test. I told them she had a recent test with a copy of the results. They asked if we had insurance and I told them ******** and AARP. They told me there would be no charge to us with ********. We kept the appt, they tested her hearing again. The technician told us the unit was OUT OF Warranty, the unit was retired no parts were available, but if we wanted they would send the unit back for a $260 handling fee with no guarantee it could be repaired and quoted us new aids from $4400 to $8250. We told them we were retired and couldnt afford that and we would look into the new much cheaper over the counter units. I next called ******* technical service, they told me the unit was under warranty until 1/05/2024 (3 years) and gave me the name of a dealer in *************. That dealer gladly returned the unit for $67 and a successful repair/replacement.In late August or early September we received a bill from Columbia for $402. I called their billing department, told them the entire story and they said they would look into it. Now months later they send a past due bill for $349 after insurance reimbursement.

  Business response

  02/21/2024

  ********************,
  
  You have my deepest apologies. This situation should not have occurred. Upon review of the situation, it seems the audiologist made an error and assumed that sunsetting the device invalidated the warranty, which it did not. This should have been checked more completely by our team and is an unjustifiable miss on our part. Training and coaching will take place in regard to your situation to ensure there is not a repeat of it.
  
  In regard to your specific issues, your invoice will be marked as fully paid, and no further action will be required by you. I would also invite you to please contact me at our ********* office *************), so I can arrange some way to compensate you for your time and justified concern about what occurred. Thank you for bringing this to my attention so our leadership team can take appropriate steps and retrain where necessary.
  
  With our deepest apologies,
  
  *****************
  Brand & Culture Manager
  Columbia Basin Hearing Centers

  Customer response

  02/21/2024

   
  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.
  We would appreciate a copy of the invoice marked paid in full.
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I drove 2 hours from out of town, and this office visit was a COMPLETE waste of my time.First off, I scheduled this appointment THREE months in advance, and they tried calling to cancel the appointment... I absolutely refused to cancel my appointment I made not 1, not 2, but 3 months in advance. I advised them I was going to their city for a specific event that was the very next day, so NO, I could not just reschedule!!!At the appointment I was given absolutely no information, no pricing, NOTHING!!!The representative that took me into the room after the hearing test, couldn't find a single thing to be helpful to being able to provide the slightest bit of information.It's now been 26 day's and I STILL have yet to hear ANYTHING from them.So I called them back a SECOND time and again got NOTHING, but was told, oh I'm sorry, the provider still hasn't come into the office....So I call a THIRD time today and got spoken to pretty rudely by "*****"I had to repeat myself THREE times to her before she offered any help.Advised me the doctor is STILL not in the office TWENTY SIX day's later....So I asked her what is next, what the plan of action is, and by the end of the call, she was laughing at me, and I even pointed it out that she just laughed at me...She told me that she would call first thing tomorrow morning, and I told her.... HM...we'll see...And I told her that if I don't hear from her, that she'll be she hearing from me.My experience with this company has been completely awful, it seems like the entire thing was a waste of my time, money, and gas.So far, this provider/company has been a complete joke in regards to treating patients with tinnitus, or having any kind of sympathy, empathy, patience, or understanding.I would give ZERO stars if I could!!!I would most definitely NOT recommend making an appointment with this provider, especially if you're from out of town or out of state and don't even live in the same city in which their office is located.

  Business response

  03/30/2023

  **************** was contacted immediately the next morning at 10am after the complaint was also lodged with FB, ****** and several other social media sites. Resolution of the issue was discussed with **************** and mitigating actions were taken, including (at this time);
  
  Reversing the $350.00 bill for his visit to our office that day.
  Have already faxed all relevant documents to the ******************** doctor per his instructions.
  Agreeing to research a medical office that takes his insurance, and assisting/expediting getting his appointment set up with said office.  Since **************** admittedly does not want to pay the out of pocket expenses to engage in treatment for his condition at our office.
  Our primary provider will be providing **************** free of charge, her video counseling sessions on tinnitus treatment once the production of these videos completes by the end of Q2/Beginning of Q3.
  
  We also feel that our goodwill with **************** on the day of his appointment has been taken in poor stride with no consideration given to our office as follows:
  
  **************** was informed that our tinnitus specialist was out of the office that day on personal business and would not be available for an appointment. In his words "I demanded they keep that appointment time and the Doctor can just change their schedule to suit me". Thus our best option to fully inform him on his condition was not available, and he had prior existing knowledge of this.
  **************** refused to give us insurance information until he arrived for his appointment. We are not contracted with his insurance and waived immediate payment of the $350.00 fee based on his travel time in an effort to get him at least some information and care for his condition. With an understanding that this fee would be billed.  We of course, as above are waiving this fee as stated above.  Frankly, he should have been turned away, but in an effort to help we saw him anyway.
  
  Thank you,
  
  ***********************
  Brand and Culture Manager
  Columbia Basin Hearing Center.
  

  Customer response

  03/31/2023

   
  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.
  

   

  However some of the statements made were incorrect, such as them saying I refused to give my insurance information was incorrect, as I did provide them my insurance information prior to the visit. 

   

  Also, frankly, there should have been no reason why I should have been turned away. 

   

  So there were some incorrect statements made on the provider's part. 

   

  I provided all needed and requested information, and never refused to provide anything. 

   

  However, being as their Representative ******* called me back, I'll take that as satisfactory. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

*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. ↩