Not everyone pays attention to warranties, but it’s important to know what protections you’re entitled to when seeking medical devices like hearing aids. To this end, you may wonder what Beltone’s hearing aid warranties have to offer.
Beltone offers protection against material defects upon receipt of your hearing aid. They also cover you in the event that your hearing aid is lost, damaged, or stolen. Finally, they offer protection in the event that your hearing loss worsens before your warranty expires.
That sounds like extensive coverage, but you may still wish to read on for more details before purchasing.
What Beltone’s Hearing Aid Warranty Covers
Beltone prides themselves on offering what they consider the best warranty on hearing aids among their competitors.
That’s because they don’t offer just one warranty, but rather three simultaneous levels of protection. Each level of protection lasts a year or more, covering various issues that may arise.
Malfunction and Material Defects
Beltone begins by offering a standard warranty, for which they make a few caveats. Since this is a manufacturer’s warranty, it only applies when purchasing directly from Beltone.
Those purchasing hearing aids from a third party must defer to the seller’s policies. However, they still offer service contracts to receive coverage for care and maintenance.
Furthermore, while the manufacturer’s warranty lasts for one year, it only covers hearing aid failure due to material defects.
Essentially, this means it should be clear upon receipt (or shortly thereafter) whether such defects are present in your hearing aid.
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Lost, Damaged, or Stolen
Damage that cannot be attributed to the fault of the manufacturer is covered by Beltone’s second level of protection.
This provides a year of coverage in the event that hearing aids are lost, damaged or stolen. Beltone recognizes the frequency of such occurrences, going so far as to refer to them as “heartbreaking eventualities” in their blog.
Thanks in no small part to the vague wording of this promise, it should cover any and all damages regardless of their cause.
In other words, both unintentional damages caused by the consumer and force majeure events should be covered by Beltone’s hearing aid warranties.
Severity of Hearing Impairment
The third and arguably most important level of Beltone’s hearing aid protection covers those who suffer changes in their level of hearing loss over time.
Nothing would be more frustrating than to shell out money for a hearing aid, only to have one’s hearing impairment worsen shortly afterward, thereby necessitating a stronger instrument.
Beltone understands that those who purchase hearing aids are often on an unfortunate decline of debilitation.
If you receive a hearing test showing clear results that your hearing has debilitated further since the time of your original purchase, Beltone will provide a stronger hearing aid with no additional charges or fees.
The other reason this level of protection stands out above the others is that, unlike the warranties discussed above, this level of coverage lasts for two years.
Since Beltone offers testing within 30 days of acquiring a new hearing aid, those with steadily declining health will find this level of coverage particularly beneficial.
What Beltone’s Warranty Doesn’t Cover
Given the extensive nature of Beltone’s hearing aid warranties, it might seem as if there remain few stones left unturned. However, what if you simply decide you don’t want to use Beltone anymore?
Perhaps you decide you prefer one of their competitors, or maybe you don’t like the way your new hearing aid feels compared to others.
While Beltone’s warranties will not cover those who simply wish to return their hearing aids, that does not mean they offer no protection whatsoever for this event.
According to Beltone’s lifetime service promises, dissatisfied customers may return their hearing aids within 30 days, provided they keep a few guidelines in mind:
- The 30 days kick in upon the date of delivery, not the date of purchase. This gives you time to fully test your hearing aid and determine whether it satisfies your needs.
- Hearing instruments must be returned in as close to their original state as possible.
- Given the need to test your hearing aid before deciding whether to return it, minimal wear is still acceptable.
- Hearing aids should be returned to the care center where they were purchased, if possible.
What to Do After Warranty Expires
Anyone who regularly purchases electronics already knows that some devices have a nasty habit of breaking down right after the warranty expires.
Fortunately, Beltone offers a lifetime service guarantee to help prevent this from happening. Even before you’re out of warranty, taking full advantage of their services will help prevent malfunctions down the line.
First, note that Beltone offers annual hearing consultations. Making use of these may help catch changes in hearing impairment while they’re still on the edge of perceptibility.
If there’s a chance you qualify for a new hearing aid under your two-year protection plan, you’ll want to catch it early and cash in your replacement before things get worse.
Second, Beltone offers free hearing aid inspections and cleanings to ensure your aid continues functioning at its best. If you’re traveling, Beltone suggests calling their patient care line for further assistance. The last thing you want is to be stranded in an unfamiliar locale with a malfunctioning hearing aid.
Beltone does make the disclaimer that any hearing aids purchased through a third party will prioritize said party’s policies.
In other words, always double check the policies and contractual guidelines of independent sellers before following through with the purchase.
If they supersede Beltone’s warranties in a manner you deem unsuitable, you may wish to look elsewhere.
Conclusion
With three levels of protection and a 30-day return policy, Beltone’s hearing aid warranties offer fairly extensive protection for those in need of hearing instruments.
However, smart consumers should be aware of what few limitations do exist before making their final purchase.
More importantly, always take advantage of Beltone’s additional services to lessen the eventuality of needing a new hearing aid in the first place.
While multi-level protection is certainly a good thing, it’s far better not to need protection at all.
References
https://www.beltone.com/en-us/blog/2017/september/hearing-aid-warranties