Charles, the technician, was great, did a thorough exam, explained the nature of my hearing loss, and gave me my options in a clearly understandable manner. Only one of my ears has significant hearing loss, all in the high frequency range. Basically, I have some trouble understanding normal conversation when there is a lot of background noise, but I function okay in normal decibel level environments (which sadly does not describe most Houston restaurants). To optimize the hearing in my bad ear, it required a closed earpiece. Although it did improve my hearing in that ear, I found the closed earpiece to not be something I was comfortable wearing on on extended basis. Also, because I only needed one hearing aid, I found it distracting because the sound in the ear with the aid was was different (a little tinny) than the same sound in my good ear. So I returned the hearing aid and Charles quickly took me through the refund process. If my hearing declines to the point where I need a hearing aid (or two) to function effectively, I would definitely return to this store.

I really like Charles. He has been very helpful and knowledge for 2 years now. Even though they built a Costco closer to our house, I take my father to see him.

Five stars!It’s rare that I give a five-star rating for anything, but with the Costco Hearing Aid Center, I have no choice. I had the experience several years ago to buy a hearing aid device at one of those other hearing aid stores, and it’s night and day. Here are some notable comparisons that were significant for me:Costco Other StoreSpecialist - no commission Commission6 month trial! 30 day trialState of the art equipment Not sureTransparency during testing Sketchy (my experience)Incredible Savings Huge markupThankfully, at the other store, I returned the $8,000 pair of aids in the 30 day period, because I saw no noticeable difference in my ability to hear. This was 8 years ago, and there have been some groundbreaking improvements in the hearing industry since then. Currently, one can get more for less, though the markdowns are only partially industry wide.The Costco prices, for my needs, generally range from $1500 to $2500, with a very nice Costco brand option (according to my doctor) at the lower end, and the incredibly effective Phonak at the higher end. There are other choices as well. For my hearing issues, which are more sound discrimination than volume, I chose the Phonak, where clarity is a key feature.The really significant thing here is the no-commission sales policy at Costco. The others recommend brands according to ability to pay (yes, they actually try to figure that out) so you may get more than you need. From what I understand, the same pair of Phonak aids can cost $6,000 at other stores. That’s a crazy markup, and, at a much lower price, I have a half year to turn them in, or trade them in if a better device comes along! And industry upgrades are being made all the time, so that’s a possibility.Fortunately, when I failed my hearing test, after a few years of borderline passes, my doctor recommended Costco. He said he sends all of his patients there now, and they have reported back with great satisfaction. After several years of not wanting to go near a hearing aid store, I am now a happy customer, with improved hearing capability needed for my job. I can’t express enough gratitude for Jody (Joellen) my highly experienced and competent fitting specialist at the Richmond Ave Costco location, as well as all the smart tech support guys on staff. They make a great team.Oh and one nice bonus: the convenience of being able to shop at Costco when going in for the regular hearing aid checkups. Less time wasted in my busy life since I have to shop anyway.Well done, Costco!