Miracle-Ear
Ex-Employee Reports Upfront Payments and High Hearing Aid Prices

As a former employee of a Miracle-Ear franchise, I was able to witness a lot of unethical practices while employed, not only by the franchise owner but also by the hearing specialist and the corporation, MEMSI. Most Miracle-Ear stores are franchises governed by the corporation.

When a franchise owner is having problems, MEMSI will require him to pay upfront for hearing aids. Several times we had a customer pay 100% up front, and then the owner would use that money for something else, leaving the customer to wait weeks for a hearing aid that was already bought and paid for. We were told to lie to the customers and say that we were waiting for parts.

The specialists love being in an independent store, meaning not in a Sears location. That way, if the customer wants to return the hearing aid for a refund, they can put the customer off by offering to remake or adjust it and "extend the trial period," only to still refuse a refund. There is a particular HIS in Kansas City, MO, who is notorious for this. If they are in a Sears location, all the customer has to do is go to the manager of the store, and they can usually get their refund, which is then deducted from the check the store sends Miracle-Ear each month.

Miracle-Ear only makes money on selling hearing aids; they do not care about servicing you afterward. They are known to reduce the hours of the store, making it more and more difficult to get a repair, etc. When employees show concern for the customers about this, they are told that the customers will "get used to it." I have an email to prove this.

MEMSI is known to use used parts. Franchise owners can sign up for the rapid exchange program. If you buy a new hearing aid, say an open fit, and it is sent in for repair, you will not get that same hearing aid back, but another one that is used.

They are way overpriced. The reason is that the franchise fees they charge the owners are so high that the owners have to set high prices based on MSRP, which is absurd. If you go to an independent HIS, you can get the same hearing aid for half the price you pay at Miracle-Ear.

Their lowest-priced hearing aids are the Audiochoice aids, which are nothing but an amp. They sell for about $1200. You can go to an independent operator and get a digital programmable hearing aid for less than this.

Do yourself a favor and stay away from Miracle-Ear, Amplifon and MEMSI. They say the customer comes first, but if that is so, why do they hold a customer who has paid for his hearing aid because the franchise owner owes them money?

Company: Miracle-Ear
Country: USA
State: Michigan
City: Plymouth
Address: 5000 Cheshire Parkway North
Phone: 8885100766

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