CONSUMER CASES 

Just how good are our low cost hearing aids? Read what respiratory physician Dr. med. Hanspeter Anderhub from La Punt Chamues-ch says in his letter to Sonetik.

I still have the two hearing aids and continue to be very satisfied with them. I wear my hearing aids a lot. When I go hiking, I leave them at home. And when I'm at home on my own and don't need to talk to anyone, I don't use them either. After all, I'm not deaf, thank goodness. But when talking to people and especially when watching television, the improvement is huge and tangible, and whenever I switch the hearing aids on, it's almost like the sun coming out. I'm very happy with how quickly they cancel out feedback. Even in restaurants with a lot of background noise, I don't feel it disturbs me, and they work perfectly. Some of my friends have much more expensive hearing aids. But I have yet to meet anyone who is satisfied with their device. The discussion always turns to the question of price: such a lot of money and still it's one problem after another. Hearing aid acousticians seem to make a great deal of fuss when advising patients, at least in my experience. They confuse people who aren't medically or technically trained and make them feel inferior. I don't bother with all that. I'm content because I understand that a hearing aid can probably never fully replace the original function of the ear. It's the same as with joint implants. You're glad of them, but of course it isn't the same as before.

What I like about Sonetik is the ease of use: on, off and four volume levels. That's plenty as far as I'm concerned. I find it particularly useful that the volume control is reset every time you open the battery compartment. I also think the devices look good and are robust. The battery life isn't bad either; with me they last around five to seven days. What with all the adverts nowadays for the vast range of hearing aids on the market, I always think it's a pity your devices aren't heard about more often. I assume that your strategy of marketing your products via pharmacies works well and that you're happy with it. I've noticed the competition has no qualms about making the most incredible advertising claims. Personally, I suspect that all the products are much the same and that the ideal hearing aid, a kind of like-for-like ear replacement, simply doesn't exist. What do exist, however, are noticeable price differences, despite the fact that the physical characteristics of amplifiers and acoustic waves don't change. And this strikes me as important. But to get people to understand that with a Sonetik hearing aid, you're not simply buying from the bargain bin, might not be such an easy marketing feat. How can a device that costs five hundred Swiss francs be as good as one costing four thousand francs? And so the seed of doubt is planted. In the end, only personal experience counts – and mine has been very good. So I would like to thank you for providing me with a Sonetik hearing aid. By the way, my dog Django is also a great Sonetik fan. He recently got hold of one of my devices and artfully dismantled it into its individual parts. I had to be pleased then, that this mishap didn't cost me 4000 francs, but just a fraction of that price.