Hearing Aids Returns Policy
The very good news is that: in the very unlikely event we can’t help you to hear better, we do have one. And it’s a good one!
In a nutshell, yes, you can return things to us. We are committed to Circular Economy. We strive for over 95% of our sales of hearing aids and accessories to be refurbished product. Using business for the good of people and the planet are our two guiding principles. Consequently most of our returns policy relates to our refurbished hearing aids and accessories. In simplest terms: Hearing Aids are returnable for 60 days and accessories for 14 days. This is across the board, hearing aid industry, standard practice.
60 Day free trial and 14 day right to cancel ‘cooling-off’ period (Hearing Aids).
We offer a 60 day, no commitment, free trial on all of our hearing aids, both new and refurbished. The trial period starts from when the hearing aids arrive with you. That’s probably the most important date in the policy. Second to that is the 14 day right to cancel. Which is pretty self-explanatory. Within 14 days of purchase you can cancel and return any hearing aids or accessories for no reason. Although, the same can be said of the 60 day free trial so in most cases, it is best to keep them and try them for a little longer than 14 days.
60 days are always better than 14.
If you are updating your hearing aids to a different brand it may take a while to adjust to another sound style. Or, if it is your first pair of hearing aids it will definitely take a while to get used to a greater level of hearing. Our hearing very rarely reduces in a uniform flat pattern. Generally you will experience a greater loss in one or more frequency band first. All of our hearing aids will be programmed to your specific prescription. If you have lost the higher frequency first (the most common) then you will have also lost some the sibilant sounds. These are the consonants at the beginning and ends of words. The loss of which leads to us finding it harder to discern speech in noisy, crowded environments. In which case your new hearing aids will make everything sound ‘different’, not just louder. Our brains are brilliant things and very elastic, however, it may still take a while to get used to this new sound, Which is why we always suggest you wear your hearing aids as much as possible for as much of the 60 day free trial period as you can.
It’s all in the box!
Hopefully everything you need for better hearing was in the box when you received your hearing aids. In, again, the very unlikely event that we haven’t found the right hearing solution for you then everything you want to return needs to be in the original, undamaged packaging, please. Unfortunately we are unlikely to be able to accept returns which don’t have the original, undamaged packaging.
Please don’t forget to include the return form!
In order to process your request, be it refund or exchange, we’ll need to be able to identify you and your order. Our customers are so important to us so, hopefully, you won’t have needed to read this far! Just in case though, we have tried to put as much effort into making our returns process as user friendly as we did you not needing a returns policy in the first place. We have made every effort to make it seamless and simple. However, there is a very minimum of information that we need, to process a refund/exchange, so you will have to fill out and include the return form. It’s very straightforward, pinkie promise! If you are at all unsure then please don’t hesitate to give us a call and one of us will happily talk you through it.
We accept returns of almost everything!
Call us old fashioned but in order to return anything for a refund or exchange then it needs to have been bought from us. Sounds obvious but, you’d be amazed! From there we do still have a few exclusions (not many!) and feel these also pretty much follow the lines of common sense. In simple terms you can return anything other than ‘intimate parts’. Yep, some bits and pieces of hearing aid paraphernalia really are called the ‘intimate parts’. These ‘intimate parts’ include any ear buds, opened domes, open and part used packets of wax filters etc. Again, if you are at all unsure then please do give us a call and we’ll help chat through your ‘intimate parts’ with you.
How best to send them?
Once you have anything you might wish to return or exchange safely back in it’s original undamaged packaging. You’ve sorted or talked through your intimate parts and got it all ready, then please send everything (including our very simple and easy to use return form) to us at:
Affordable Hearing
PO Box 816
Banbury
OX16 6TW
You will need to pay the postage to return your items. We suggest that you send anything via a secure, tracked and signed for service retaining your receipt for proof of postage.
Must I always pay the postage?
Yes, in simple terms, you will need to pay the postage to return your items. If you don’t we’ll just hide under our desks when the postman comes and pretend to not be known at this address. Or if you feel there are extenuating circumstances, possibly we’ve sent you a foot warmer rather than a hearing aid then call us and we can arrange to send you a postage label. Unless of course you rather liked your foot warmer, in which case, you’re welcome!
Will I get all of my money back?
It’s another ‘yes’ from us. It’s all gone a bit X Factor around here all of a sudden, hasn’t it? However, in a more serious and sensible vein. Yes, if you return your hearing aids within the 60 day free trial period then you will receive a refund for your whole order excluding any import/export duties or costs related to ‘intimate parts’. We covered our ‘intimate parts’ above, hopefully you have too! We were sensible ‘brief’ly.
Is the date (like our age) just a number?
More yesses, bordering on a golden buzzer from us. The important number is 60. Not as that is the average age at which we’ll possibly notice we’re struggling to hear but because that’s the limit for our no reason, no quibble, 100% returns policy. There is the question of the standard 14 day policy that relates to all online purchases. However, we tend to ignore that (except for accessories) as the 60 days we offer really top trumps it. We do ask that you have let us know in writing within 60 days of the purchase date of your hearing aids if you wish to exercise your right to return under our 60 day free trial. An email, SMS or WhatsApp with your name, address and order number is fine. We won’t hide under our desks (that’s only for lack of postage) if your hearing aids don’t arrive exactly within the 60 days but they do really need to be pretty close (within 63 days, so long as you’ve let us know within 60, that sound fair?). In reality, we hope that we have managed to find you a brilliant hearing solution by this point anyway. We offer as many ‘tweaks’ as you need to try and get comfortable and confident with your hearing aids within the 60 days, so hopefully you won’t want to return them.
When will I receive my refund?
Depending whether you are returning accessories (14 day limit) or hearing aids (60 day limit) we will process your refund as quickly as possible (on receipt of the items). Anything you are sending back needs to be in the original, undamaged packaging and accompanied by a completed ‘Return Form’. We will refund any money to your original payment method. Within 14 days (it’s usually much quicker, that’s worst case!) of receipt of your returned items.
We always like to have the last word:
Our last words in this case are that we hope our returns process is simple and straightforward for you. However, most importantly, we would always much rather find you the right hearing aids solution. Please don’t ever hesitate to contact us. We’re very proud of our returns policy but we’re equally proud of our ‘you’ll nearly always get a human and they’ll nearly always know a lot about hearing aids’ one as well.