But Specsavers / Audika / Boots are cheaper for hearing aids, aren’t they?
- Sally Jackson RHAD
- Aug 11
- 6 min read
AKA: CONFESSIONS OF A HIGH STREET AUDIOLOGIST
Sooner or later, with the best will in the world, independent audiologists face this question. The question really is:
Why do you cost more, and what do I get for that money?
I cost more (not much more) because manufacturers price hearing aids depending on how much volume you sell. The difference can be double the cost per unit. For a reseller of goods, the profit margin is the difference between the purchase price and sale price of the product. For hearing aids, that difference is what we charge for providing our service for years to come. There is a huge difference, and that is why aids are cheaper on ebay - no service attached.
There are several factors which contribute to your experience:
Quality/Newness of hearing aids
Service quality - in each appointment
Qualifications/experience of audiologist
Service quality - aftersales/warranty/repairs
Continuity of Care
You can stop reading here, or continue for the details…
Quality of Hearing Aids
Better brands are usually much better than poor brands. Our opinions vary, but in general each dispenser/audiologist has a favourite. In places like Boots (Phonak/Sonova) and Audika (GN Hearing), you’ll find that they are locked into only one brand or ‘brand family’ (old and new technology from one manufacturer, with different names on)$.
The build quality of big brands such as Widex, Signia, Phonak, Resound, Bernafon and Starkey are all comparable (very good). Cheaper aids, I’m not so sure about.
Technology is more important. When it comes to hearing - especially in noise - you want the best technology. This is constantly evolving, and different brands outpace, then catch up with, each other. If your dispenser only sells one brand family, you are highly unlikely to be getting the best current aids.
Service Quality
Service always suffers when it is cut to the shortest possible time. Anyone with a GP will understand this. What they don't realise is that private healthcare is also being stripped to the bone. Companies want more profit, and moving service away from the qualified person to cheaper staff members is how they do it.
When I am in an appointment and a patient says,
"I'm getting on OK I think. I struggled a bit when I was out for dinner last week but I am hearing way more than I did before"
A good audiologist hears "I'm not coping in noise". I ask further questions, check the tech level vs the audiogram, ask myself 'are they getting what they paid for?' and adjust/follow up until I am satisfied I can do no more.
Rehabilitation is a key part of audiology. If a dispenser (and I do differentiate between dispenser and audiologist on purpose) has 30 minutes to do a whole follow up appointment, they have a full bladder and have skipped lunch, they are likely to hear "I'm doing OK, I'm not going to make a fuss". It is after numerous such rushed appointments that they start blaming the tech or the patient. "Well your hearing is quite bad". "The aids are a bit old now". Not good, and people do indeed buy new aids thinking they need them.
Bad dispensers can be created by bad employers, in the same way that no GP would want to miss a red flag. If you add in a commission-based salary, your dispensers need unshakeable morals to keep themselves ethical.
Experience & Qualifications
I don't want to denigrate other dispenser's education, and I know for sure that a highly experienced dispenser is often preferable to a very green graduate. However, the depth and breadth of the BSc degree is fabulous, and if you want your audiologist to understand: the physics/acoustics of sound; the psychology of impairment; the importance of rehabilitation; the technology inside the aids and the application of science in healthcare, that's what you want.
There are shorter courses which train you how to dispense (sell) hearing aids, and they include the minimum knowledge required to fit them.
High street chains are not invested in maintaining the knowledge of their staff, so unless that staff member goes out of their way to soak up reading on the weekends they get fed mainly manufacturer's updates. This is precisely why they will be able to tell you how e.g. Phonak's new aid compares to Phonak's last aid, but not how it compares across the marketplace. Each manufacturer improves on their own last model, and they mark their own homework in this respect.
Ideally, you would have a person with the BSc education and years of experience in dispensing. Even so, you need them to be willing to understand the whole market and not just their corner of it.
Service for aftersales/warranty/repairs
Another way of making more profit is by reducing the warranty period you hand on to the customer, or charging them for the warranty/charging them for repairs that you don't pay for yourself. Most independents offer a full 5 year warranty, and in my opinion you will need it. Hearing aids, like all technology exposed to grime and sweat, are more likely to fail later than sooner.
When I was working in the high street, my diary had openings for new hearing tests, and the rest was jammed up for the next 1-2 weeks.
From the customer's perspective, you are seen very quickly for the free test/purchase, but cannot get an urgent repair appointment for 1-2 weeks.
When you prioritise the patient's hearing/comfort above anything else, an urgent appointment is one where a customer cannot use their aids (repair, comfort, rehab etc). My diary now has slots kept free for repairs and tinnitus habituation every week. New customers are seen as quickly as possible, but existing patients come first. Savvy customers understand that they will appreciate this when they become a patient!
Continuity of Care
New audiologists/dispensers are a little cheaper than experienced ones. Profit-seeking chains will therefore hire a newbie every time and train them on their preferred products/style of dispensing.
Very few of us want to stay in our first job forever (any discipline). If that place is not treating customers well, the good ones will leave as soon as possible. The problem with moving on in healthcare, is that continuity of care is integral to service. When you see the same GP every time, patient outcomes/mortality are better% Audiologists might not impact your mortality, but the same is true.
When you recognise your patient, and remember their history without having to look through 3 pages of clinical notes, people are happier and appointments are more productive.
People and happiness are what healthcare should be about. And we do remember you by your name and your audiogram!
Third Party Independent Providers
Anyone can open a store and hire an audiologist. We see this with opticians a lot; they install an audiologist in their spare room - either by direct hire or an intermediary such as The Hearing Care Partnership. They offer you a hearing test while you get your eyes ‘done’. You buy hearing aids, off you go. 12 months later, the audiologist leaves and you're stuck until they’ve hired a new one (which can take months) or are willing to pay for a locum.
So What IS Best?
A small clinic, where the audiologist who started it is still clinically involved on a daily basis^, is where the best care is usually found. A combination of ethics and pride in your own practice is what every patient deserves. When it is your name above the door, so to speak, it adds more responsibility for long-term customer satisfaction. Even if you don't have access to this, I would always choose an independent for my own care, simply because I know how profit is King in the big chains.
And that is why independent hearing care scored so high in Which? Magazine, and will continue to score highly for patient satisfaction.
Copyright 2026: Sally Jackson
Reproduction with permission only
$ This integration of manufacturer, brand, outlet will continue as it is highly profitable, but for now we still have some choice.
^ Avoid jaded characters who are more often away in a holiday home than overseeing their clinics. They are counting the days to retirement and it does show.
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