Questions to Ask at the Audiologist Before You Buy Hearing Aids

Eight plain questions, asked out loud at your hearing appointment, can save you thousands of dollars and years of frustration. The hearing test is the easy part. It’s the conversation afterwards, when the audiologist turns the screen around and starts talking about models and tiers, that catches people out. A pair of hearing aids in Australia can cost more than a decent holiday, the quote often arrives verbally, and it’s tempting to just nod along. Plenty of people do, then get home and realise they never found out what the trial terms were or whether they qualified for a free pair through the government.

You don’t need to become an expert to buy well. You need these questions, asked in order, with the answers written down. A good audiologist will welcome every one of them. This guide gives you the questions, explains why each matters, and describes what a good answer sounds like, so you’ll recognise one when you hear it. There’s a take-along list at the end you can print or photograph.

The questions that matter most

1. What will these cost me after funding, in writing?

If you hold a Pensioner Concession Card or a DVA card, the government’s Hearing Services Program may cover a full set of aids at no cost, so the first thing to ask is what your quote looks like after the Program. Ask to see the fully subsidised option alongside any top-up device, itemised and in writing: the price of each aid, any fees, and exactly what you’d pay. Our guide to the Hearing Services Program explains who qualifies. If you’re self-funding, ask for the itemised quote anyway, and check whether your private health extras cover pays anything toward aids. A good answer is a printed or emailed quote you can take away. A verbal figure and a booking form is not a quote. For what the numbers should roughly look like, see what hearing aids really cost in Australia.

2. What would the tier below this one do differently for me?

Most manufacturers sell the same hearing aid in three or four technology tiers. Same shell, different software, and the price gap between top and bottom can be thousands per pair. Clinics usually present the premium tier first. So ask, in these exact words, what the tier below would do differently for your hearing loss and your week. A good answer is specific: it names situations you’re actually in, like noisy cafes or club lunches, and explains what you’d give up. “It’s just better” is not an answer. If you spend most of your time in quiet, one-to-one settings, the honest reply is often that a mid-tier aid, or the fully subsidised one, will serve you just as well. Our guide to hearing aid brands and tiers explains how this works.

3. How long is the trial, and what exactly do I get back?

Every reputable clinic offers a trial or money-back period, but the terms vary widely. Specsavers currently offers a 90-day satisfaction guarantee, Amplifon 30 days, and independents set their own terms. The length matters less than the fine print, so ask two things: what condition the aids must come back in, and whether the refund is the full amount or the aid price minus a fitting fee. Get the answer in writing. Then use the trial properly. Wear the aids at the shops, at family dinners, on the phone. That’s where you find out if they earn their price.

4. What will servicing and batteries cost after I buy?

The purchase price is not the whole price. Disposable batteries need replacing every week or two, rechargeable batteries eventually wear out and cost real money to replace, and wax filters and domes are an ongoing small expense. If you’re on the Hearing Services Program, ask about the annual maintenance agreement, a small yearly fee that covers batteries, repairs and servicing. If you’re self-funding, ask for a plain list: what’s included, for how long, and what a standard appointment costs once the included period ends. A good clinic has this ready. Vague answers here are how a fair-looking quote turns expensive by year three.

5. Do you sell one manufacturer, or several?

Some of Australia’s biggest clinic chains are owned by hearing aid manufacturers or their parent companies. Audika is owned by Demant, which makes Oticon. Connect Hearing is owned by Sonova, which makes Phonak. Bloom is owned by WS Audiology, which makes Signia. Amplifon is a global hearing retailer with its own preferred supply arrangements, and Hearing Australia is government-owned. None of that makes the aids bad. It does mean the recommendation may come from a short menu. So ask which manufacturers the clinic fits, and why this one for you. A good answer names more than one brand and gives a reason tied to your audiogram or your phone, not just the house favourite. Our comparison of Australian hearing clinics covers who owns whom.

6. What happens if I move towns?

Hearing aids need care for years, so ask where you stand if life changes. With a national chain, any branch can usually pull up your file and carry on. With an independent, ask how a handover works: will they transfer your records and fitting settings, and will another clinic charge to service aids it didn’t sell? The honest answer is often yes, there’s a fee. That’s not a reason to avoid independents, many offer better service and sharper prices. And if you’re on the Hearing Services Program, your voucher moves with you: you can transfer to any contracted provider in your new town. It’s simply worth knowing before you buy, especially if a move to be nearer family is on the cards.

7. Will these work with my phone, and do they have a telecoil?

Bring your actual phone to the appointment and ask to see the aids paired with it before you commit. Most modern aids stream calls straight to your ears over Bluetooth, but how well that works varies with the phone you own, not the phone in the brochure. And ask about a telecoil. It’s a small coil inside the aid that picks up the hearing loop systems installed in many Australian churches, theatres, RSL clubs, banks and service counters, and some of the slimmest rechargeable models leave it out. If you sit in a loop-equipped hall every week, that missing coil matters more than any app. Our guide to app-controlled hearing aids covers the phone side in more detail.

8. Who does my follow-up adjustments?

Audiologists will tell you the fitting matters more than the brand, and they’re right. Your brain takes weeks to adjust to hearing aids, and most people need two or three tweaking sessions in the first few months to get them sounding natural. Ask who does those adjustments, whether you’ll see the same person each time, and how many visits are included. A good answer is a name, not a call centre. If the person testing you today won’t be the person fine-tuning your aids next month, it’s fair to ask who will be.

Is it rude to shop around? No.

Some people feel awkward taking a quote from one clinic to another, as if it were haggling at a market. It isn’t. Hearing aids are one of the larger purchases many households make, prices for the same aid genuinely differ between clinics, and both CHOICE and the ACCC have looked closely at how hearing aids are sold in Australia. Good audiologists know this and expect comparison. The quote is yours. Take it home, sit with it for a week, and put it beside one from a different clinic. Any clinic that discourages you from doing that has told you something useful about itself.

The bottom line

Buying hearing aids well comes down to slowing the conversation to your pace. Sort out your Hearing Services Program eligibility first, get the price after funding in writing, make the clinic justify the tier, understand the trial and the running costs, and know who’ll be looking after you afterwards. None of these questions is confrontational. They’re the same ones you’d ask before buying a car, and the answers separate a clinic that wants you hearing well for years from one that wants a sale this afternoon.

Next steps

To choose where to have that conversation, start with our comparison of Australian hearing clinics. For the money side, see what hearing aids really cost and how the Hearing Services Program works. And if the brand names in the quote mean nothing to you yet, our guide to hearing aid brands sorts them out in plain English.