Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for December 12, 2013

I said the same thing about 30 years ago. Particularly true in business meetings.

She can get a much better price outside of the US.

Mine cost $2900 each! But they’re great! Now I don’t go around saying “…what?”, “…I’m sorry?” or the ever-popular “…huh?”

haha…I never thought of it that way.

Three years ago, I went to a well-respected place and was quoted $5000 for the pair. Then I went to the good warehouse store and spent $2000 for what appears to be a better product, with excellent support.

Agreed Carmen.

@Boise Ed: it depends on your hearing. For the 5% of the hearing-impaired population who need far more amplification and fine-tuning than everybody else, one pays for the research and development and the cost is a lot more than what you got quoted—mine were $4444 each. But to be able to hear things I haven’t heard since I was twelve years old, even after wearing hearing aids for 30 years? To be able to use a cell phone as an actual phone for the first time in my life? To be able to hand a mike to a speaker and miss not one word? Worth every penny.

I don’t know how much my hearing aids cost, but I do know that if I had to pay for them, I wouldn’t have them because I’m retired and on a very, very limited income. As luck would have it, my hearing loss was ruled by the VA to be Service Connected (but not enough for compensation) so I got them for free. The market for hearing aids is very much a seller’s market, and unless your medical plan pays for them all you can do is hope that the manufacturer doesn’t use too big a reamer on you.