This week, Ken Stone tells us just how strong Audicus hearing aids can be. He lost his hearing aid at the mechanic’s shop, and came back to find it was actually run over by a car, possibly multiple times! Find out what happened!
Ken Stone, a California grandfather, first noticed that he was losing his hearing when his family started telling him that he had trouble understanding what they said. The hardest things for him to hear were voices and conversations, and high tones. He said that he would often respond to questions inappropriately, giving irrelevant information at times.
To try to resolve the problem, Ken started off by visiting audiologists and stores, trying to find the best option for his needs. Having a background in electronics, he knew a little bit about hearing aids already, but was surprised by the prices. The market prices in electronics are decreasing, yet the price of hearing aids in particular is continuing to increase, he said. He did some online research and found Audicus, read some of the blog posts, and called to speak with customer service.
He felt a little bit of apprehension about making such a big investment on a medical device through the internet, but ultimately decided, because of the 45-day trial period and good impression of the company, to purchase his first hearing aid from Audicus. He said, to his delight, customer service was helpful and responsive, and he settled for one hearing aid for his left ear.
Since Ken didn’t purchase a Bluetooth remote control, which would sync his hearing aid to his cell phone, he would remove the device and put it in his pocket whenever talking on the phone. This is what presumably led to the loss of the device at his auto mechanic’s shop, when he took a phone call and removed his hearing aid.
When he got home and realized he had lost it, he drove back to the shop and searched the area. To his surprise, he found it on the ground in a very rough and asphalt covered state. He replaced the battery, though, and the hearing aid was still working! He said he was shocked and impressed by the quality of the hearing device.
Here’s a picture of the hearing aid after it got run over.
“It’s a real good testimony to the engineering, I mean this thing really held up. It didn’t crush, it’s still together, [but] there are asphalt pieces ground into it. Good engineering, very substantial.”