MommyD, because you have a recommendation about the aids your child needs and the cost, it might be good to check out your local Costco. You'll need to know why the Sivantas aids were suggested, i.e., what features they have. The $1600 (each) Bernefon aid I purchased at Costco is for moderate to profound loss, has a telecoil and Bluetooth connectivity, plus a $200 mic to pair with it. From what I've seen online, this mic isn't as good as the Roger Select, which can be set directionally, but which costs almost $900 and only works with the top Phonak aids.

All of the people at the Salem Costco hearing center are knowledgeable and easy to work with. There's no charge for return visits to have my aid programmed to suit me best as my hearing continues to change (hah...I mean, gets worse). Nothing the audi at Costco has told me has been proven false, except by one hearing test person who believes all Costco aids must be junk. Again, the audi in the same clinic gives Costco very high marks for quality of aids and accessories and service. The Costco audi has current info about speech-to-text apps, which none of the people at the specialized clinic possessed--not the doc, the hearing test person, or even the audi. The clinic audi did have some tips about living with hearing loss, including a book she recommended, "Learn to Lipread." Another good thing is that Costco has an extremely good return program with no risk whatsoever if the aids aren't right for you. First, they fit you with an aid and have you walk around the store to see if it seems to work. Then, they send you home with it, on a trial basis. Although you have paid for it at that point, the price is 100% refundable for a set period.

The only strike against the Salem Costco (which serves a very large rural area) is that it's always busy. If you call and no one answers, there's just a "thanks for calling" message without a way to leave one. However, twice I've just dropped in and gotten my aid programmed. This Costco is the closest one to me, just over 60 miles away, but not far from my regular weekly trip to the Portland area.

Another thing you'd want to look at when buying aids for a child is how good the guarantee is, both against damage and loss.

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