ComplaintsforMiracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased Miracle Ear hearing aids on June 30, 2023. Included in that purchase was a TV Streamer Box. The box was promoted as being a wonderful innovation to help hear the TV. It had to be ordered so it was not delivered until July 13, 2023. I connected and used the box overnight. It did not work to my satisfaction. I returned the hearing aids and all accessories INCLUDING THE BOX on July 14, 2023. Total for the entire purchase was $5219.95. The amount I was refunded was $4849.90. That left a difference of $370.05 I was required to pay fo trying out the box for ONE DAY and the hearing aids for fourteen days. That amount equals $170.05 for a dispensing fee and $200.00 for the box which they said they are not allowed to refund due to company policy. This is not fair or right to the consumer. I do not consider either of these charges to be justified, especially the $200.00 price of the box. They did tell me of the company policy before purchase, but left me with no choice but to pay for the box if I wanted to try it out. They did not offer any sort of trial with a demonstrator box or a rental. Their policy is, you buy it and too bad if it does not work for you, period. Not fair. Also, just as important is what they DID NOT say as follows. The box does not work unless you are watching TV alone and have the TV's volume turned off. Then the audio is good through the hearing aids. But if someone else is watching TV with you and needs the volume turned up, that causes echos and distortion for you negating any benefit for you from the box. I do not watch TV alone, so that does not work for me. Therefore, refusing to refund my money does not seem right or fair to me the consumer. The box is completely useless to me as it will not work with any other hearing aid. If this is company policy the company policy is wrong and needs to be changed to something more reasonable and fair. The ladies at the Miracle Ear Store were friendly and nice. I have no problem with them.

  Business response

  08/07/2023

  To Whom it May Concern,

  We at Miracle Ear are saddened to learn Mr. ****** contacted the Better Business Bureau. He did so not because we failed to honor our policy but because he feels our policy needs to change. 

  On 6/28/23 Mr. ****** received a free hearing evaluation that determined hearing aids would benefit him greatly. We allowed him to take a pair of hearing aids on a free trial in order to make a more informed decision before purchase. When he returned on 6/30/23, he decided to purchase the hearing aids and a TV Streamer. The hearing aid return policy is within 30 days. All monies paid for said hearing aids will be refunded with the exception of $100.00 per hearing aid re-stocking fee ($200.00 total). Mr. ****** agreed to this by initialing the return policy on the contract. We had 5 additional follow up visits with Mr. ******, each visit he discussed the price of the hearing aids. He stated the hearing aids helped him with speech understanding but many times discussed how he feels hearing aids are overpriced. On 7/13/23, Mr. ****** again asked for a count down on his 30 days and displeasure on pricing, picked up his TV Streamer. During that appointment I expressed concern about him taking the TV Streamer out of the office multiple times. I explained, the hearing aids are refundable but accessories are not. He said he still wanted to take it with him. Several more times I explained that I cannot refund the TV Streamer, I do not have the ability to refund the TV Streamer but he still insisted on taking it with him. In his letter, he stated the TV Streamer was not demonstrated but that is untrue. We put his box on our TV and paired his hearing aids to his box (so he did not have to do this when he arrived home), I personally showed him how to press the hearing aid toggle to turn the TV streamer on and off. He validated hearing the television through his hearing aids well. I showed him how to turn the volume up and down. We also wrote everything down in case he needed more information when he arrived home. The next day on 7/13/2023, Mr ****** walked in and stated he wanted to return. Hearing aids cost $4990.00, shipping $29.95, and TV Streamer $200.00 = $5219.95. We reminded him the TV streamer cannot be returned and he became rather upset by this. Again, I reminded him I cannot return the TV Streamer, I do not have clearance to do so. This means I can return the hearing aids (minus the $200 restocking fee) $4790.00. Mr. ****** was upset he paid for hearing aids, shipping, and now a TV Streamer he cannot use. I was able to remove the $29.95 shipping charge from the restocking fee leaving him paying $170.05 instead of $200.00 but I cannot refund the TV Streamer. I reminded him that I asked multiple times before he left the building that it is not refundable one he leaves with it but he still took it home. Once the packaging is broken, the product is used. The manufacture will not accept it back and we cannot sell the used item to a different patient, this is why the policy is as it is. Mr. ****** was responsible for $400.00 ($200 restocking fee and $200 TV Streamer) but due to being able to remove the shipping fee, he only paid $370.05. He left the TV Streamer in our office when he left and refused to take it with him, we had to ship the TV Streamer to his home at an additional fee that we did not bill for.

  After receiving your letter in the mail today, I did reach out to my area manager and ask if we could possibly refund the TV Streamer and he stated that is not our policy. In the statement Mr. ****** supplied, he acknowledged being advised of the accessory return policy prior to taking the product home. He knew when he left the office the TV Streamer could not be returned and yet he left the building anyways. In the end, we supplied Mr. ****** with above and beyond customer service. All fees and or return policies were advised prior to purchase. For additional customer service, we only changed $170.05 restocking fee instead of $200.00, this generosity should be noted. We understand that Mr. ****** does not like the return policy that was addressed before the refund took place and we are truly saddened this matter has escalated to this level as we cared and still care for him greatly. 

   

  Business response

  08/08/2023

  To Whom it May Concern,
  We at Miracle Ear are saddened to learn Mr. ****** contacted the Better Business Bureau. He did so not because we failed to honor our policy but because he feels our policy needs to change. 
  On 6/28/23 Mr. ****** received a free hearing evaluation that determined hearing aids would benefit him greatly. We allowed him to take a pair of hearing aids on a free trial in order to make a more informed decision before purchase. When he returned on 6/30/23, he decided to purchase the hearing aids and a TV Streamer. The hearing aid return policy is within 30 days. All monies paid for said hearing aids will be refunded with the exception of $100.00 per hearing aid re-stocking fee ($200.00 total). Mr. ****** agreed to this by initialing the return policy on the contract. We had 5 additional follow up visits with Mr. ******, each visit he discussed the price of the hearing aids. He stated the hearing aids helped him with speech understanding but many times discussed how he feels hearing aids are overpriced. On 7/13/23, Mr. ****** again asked for a count down on his 30 days and displeasure on pricing, picked up his TV Streamer. During that appointment I expressed concern about him taking the TV Streamer out of the office multiple times. I explained, the hearing aids are refundable but accessories are not. He said he still wanted to take it with him. Several more times I explained that I cannot refund the TV Streamer, I do not have the ability to refund the TV Streamer but he still insisted on taking it with him. In his letter, he stated the TV Streamer was not demonstrated but that is untrue. We put his box on our TV and paired his hearing aids to his box (so he did not have to do this when he arrived home), I personally showed him how to press the hearing aid toggle to turn the TV streamer on and off. He validated hearing the television through his hearing aids well. I showed him how to turn the volume up and down. We also wrote everything down in case he needed more information when he arrived home. The next day on 7/13/2023, Mr ****** walked in and stated he wanted to return. Hearing aids cost $4990.00, shipping $29.95, and TV Streamer $200.00 = $5219.95. We reminded him the TV streamer cannot be returned and he became rather upset by this. Again, I reminded him I cannot return the TV Streamer, I do not have clearance to do so. This means I can return the hearing aids (minus the $200 restocking fee) $4790.00. Mr. ****** was upset he paid for hearing aids, shipping, and now a TV Streamer he cannot use. I was able to remove the $29.95 shipping charge from the restocking fee leaving him paying $170.05 instead of $200.00 but I cannot refund the TV Streamer. I reminded him that I asked multiple times before he left the building that it is not refundable one he leaves with it but he still took it home. Once the packaging is broken, the product is used. The manufacture will not accept it back and we cannot sell the used item to a different patient, this is why the policy is as it is. Mr. ****** was responsible for $400.00 ($200 restocking fee and $200 TV Streamer) but due to being able to remove the shipping fee, he only paid $370.05. He left the TV Streamer in our office when he left and refused to take it with him, we had to ship the TV Streamer to his home at an additional fee that we did not bill for.
  After receiving your letter in the mail today, I did reach out to my area manager and ask if we could possibly refund the TV Streamer and he stated that is not our policy. In the statement Mr. ****** supplied, he acknowledged being advised of the accessory return policy prior to taking the product home. He knew when he left the office the TV Streamer could not be returned and yet he left the building anyways. In the end, we supplied Mr. ****** with above and beyond customer service. All fees and or return policies were advised prior to purchase. For additional customer service, we only changed $170.05 restocking fee instead of $200.00, this generosity should be noted. We understand that Mr. ****** does not like the return policy that was addressed before the refund took place and we are truly saddened this matter has escalated to this level as we cared and still care for him greatly. 

  Customer response

  08/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I do not dispute Miracle Ear's account of the events surrounding my purchase of their products with the exception of two points. Point one. Miracle ear's message says quote, "In his letter he stated the RV Streamer was not demonstrated but that is untrue", unquote. The truth is I never said that at all therefore Miracle Ear's statement is not true. Check my original complaint. Point two. Miracle Ear's message says quote, "We reminded him the TV Streamer cannot be returned and he became rather upset by this", unquote. The truth is I never became upset at all so I have no idea why Miracle Ear would say such  an egregiously false thing. There was never anyone upset. It was a completely civil conversation and I am disappointed that Miracle Ear would embellish their message for no apparent reason other than to portray me in a bad light. Now, the facts are as follows. Miracle Ear did connect the box at their office and let me hear how it sounded for a few minutes, but that is in no way equal to being able to try it out at home in a normal setting. I never said the box did not work. What I said is the box did not work for me, and I could only determine that with a true trial at home in a normal TV watching environment. The box works find but only if one is watching TV alone with the TV speakers turned off. But, if one is watching TV with others who need the TV speakers turned up then that cancels any benefit one may enjoy from the box because doing this causes distortion and echoes for the person using the box. I do not watch TV alone so the box does not work for me. Miracle Ear is unreasonable and wrong to force a customer to buy a box with no option to return to find this out. What they did to me was wrong. It may be their policy and it may be legal, but that does not make it right. There was a time in this country when slavery was the policy and legal. But, that did not make it right. Miracle Ear may have this policy and it may be legal, but it is still not fair for the customer and it is wrong. Why do they have a trial period and return policy for their hearing aids but not for their streaming boxes? What is the difference.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

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