F.A.Q.

Your Hearing Booth results are extremely accurate.

The beeps that you hear during the check are calibrated to ISO (International Standards Organization) guidelines.

The same guidelines for a clinical hearing test are applied to The Hearing Curve’s check.

The Booth is located inside the Fairlane Village Mall in Pottsville, PA.

It is always on and ready to go, so if the mall is open – so is the Booth.

Just be courteous and make sure there is no one inside the Booth before you enter.  Look inside the window before you enter!

Research and understand them with our website.  If you registered, please visit your free account for more detailed information on your Booth results.  We have more tools available to you there.

You can contact us for more information also.

You will have to visit The Hearing Curve location to get your results confirmed. In the meantime, visit our wide range of hearing solutions that can help you hear better online.

PLEASE NOTE: Any sudden changes in your hearing require the assistance of a medical professional immediately.  Contact a local doctor instead.

You need to get a self hearing check at least once a year.

You might be curious to see how your hearing changes with a cold or allergies, also.

This way you can keep track of your own hearing.

It currently costs $5.

The Booth accepts both cash and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express).

The Hearing Booth is calibrated in the same manner as doctor’s hearing test machines.  The process of testing your ability to hear sounds is the same also.

It is not a full examination, but it will provide you with enough information to let you know how well you really do hear.

At your local center, we provide full hearing tests and visual ear inspections.

The Hearing Booth test does NOT replace a medical examination.

Seek the help of a medical professional immediately!  Call your doctor right away.

Hearing devices are NOT for people who cannot hear anything. They are for people who can hear, but do not hear clearly.

Hearing loss can happen so slowly that you get used to it.  If you have a correctable hearing loss, you may not even realize what you are missing until you try them.  We offer 45 day trials for you to see this for yourself!

Remember, untreated hearing loss for many years is harder to restore.  Don’t put it off, you’ll regret it.

There are various types of hearing loss.

Over 95% of people with hearing loss have sensorineural hearing loss.  This means that there is nothing you can do to improve your hearing other than wear hearing devices.

Sensorineural hearing loss will never improve on its own.

Another type of hearing loss is called conductive.  This means that there may be some type of medical intervention that can help you improve your hearing to normal.

The final type of hearing loss is called mixed.  This means that medical help may improve your hearing a bit, but hearing devices will still be necessary.

We can help you figure out which type of loss you have when you visit your local center.

There usually isn’t just one thing that causes hearing loss, however the largest contributing factor for hearing loss today is noise exposure.

Prolonged exposure to noise like at work or even recreational noises like lawn mowers, concerts, power equipment, etc. can cause permanent hearing loss.

Sudden bursts of noise like explosions or gunshots, for instance, can also cause instant hearing loss.

Other reasons include:

Yes.

You don’t realize what you’re missing.

There isn’t a good form of hearing loss, so any amount of hearing loss is bad.   There is also no type of hearing loss that is considered “normal for your age”.

If you wait until the point when your hearing is really bad, then there may be no hearing to actually restore at that point.

Hearing devices work with whatever hearing you have left. They will never create new hearing.

There are people who wear hearing devices with slight losses who notice a big difference.

If your hearing loss is age related, then one can expect maybe a 1-2% drop in hearing ability every year from the natural aging process.

Some people don’t lose their hearing that much though.  When you get established at your local center, we’ll keep track of it for you.  We will even update your hearing devices with your changes if it does worsen.

Use the Hearing Booth also to keep track of your changes.

Noise related hearing loss can be prevented – so use ear protection when around loud noises: at concerts, using power tools, using the lawnmower.  And don’t blast the volume on your personal mp3 players!

Yes.

We are born with two ears for a reason – to hear properly.  Getting only one device is like wearing only one lens in your glasses: you’re able to see, but only to the side you’ve corrected.

The same thing applies to your hearing.

If you only fit one ear, you’ll only hear sound from that side of your head.

Sound from each ear travels into your brain and mixes before you process what you are hearing.  Having proper sound on one side and muffled sound on the other will lead to improper understanding.

If you fit only one ear, how do you know which side to even fit?  If you fit your left ear, for instance, and are driving your vehicle, you cannot be upset that you cannot understand your passenger!  The right ear is facing the passenger while the left ear picks up road noises naturally.

If you can benefit from two devices, consider yourself lucky.  People who have single sided deafness would love to be in your position.

Besides, when you’re fit, you won’t want to go with only one.  You’ll see for yourself.

No hearing device has an expiration date.

If your hearing doesn’t change that much, you can get longer life from the devices.  All devices can be reprogrammed to match a little more hearing loss.  If you lose 1-2% a year, your devices can last well into 7 years.

If not, you can go longer.

However, most people who wear their devices regularly understand that wearing them for 5-7 years is a long time. Newer advancements make it worthwhile to upgrade, and those people usually start looking into replacements on their own.

No one will ever force you to upgrade your devices though.  Not here.

The biggest expense associated with hearing device prices is related to research and development.

There are 5 major hearing device manufacturers, and each of them spend tens of millions of dollars every year to invent new sound and device designs.

They have their own doctors, engineers, researchers and technicians.

Unfortunately only 20% of the people who need hearing devices actually gets them also.  This tends to make them a bit more expensive too.

We are doing things differently here.  With The Hearing Curve, we have unbundled our approach to correcting your hearing to help you save.  With a trial, you’ll be entitled to 3 office visits for free.  From there, you can pay for service as you need it.  This way, you will save.

There are two types of maintenance for hearing devices:

1. By you: clean your devices regularly.  It only takes a minute a day.  Make sure they are wiped down and free of any wax or debris from being in your ears.  Some devices have wax filters that can be easily changed every month or so.  Make sure you store them in the case they come with and take care of them.  You’ll want to.

2. By us: we will invite you to the office for a free clean and check of your devices at least once a year (every 6 months is ideal).  If you do so, we will sit down with you to make sure your hearing hasn’t changed to make sure you are getting the most of your devices.  We can clean the devices in ways you cannot – and trust us, that’ll make a difference.

There are different sizes of hearing device batteries.

Size 10: for Invisible and CIC devices.  They only last 3-6 days.

Size 312: for many RIC and ITC devices. They last 6-8 days.

Size 13: for many BTE and ITE devices. They can last as long as 2 weeks.

Batteries are inexpensive and are on average from $.50 to .$75 a battery cell.  Some places have sales on batteries and can be even cheaper.

You can buy a supply of batteries and keep them at your home.  Buy a 6 month supply for instance.  Just make sure you get a reliable, fresh supply.  We move threw a lot of batteries, so ours are always fresh if you get them from our online store.

Otherwise, you can find them at shopping centers or pharmacies for instance.

A trial period is 45 days.  It allows you to take the devices home with you to test them out.  Wear them in the situations you struggle to notice the improvement.

In the trial we schedule at least 2 appointments to allow us to reprogram your hearing devices to offer you more clarity and comfort if necessary.

If you aren’t satisfied at the end of the trial, you are entitled to return the devices.

A down payment may be required and a small return fee will apply upon the even of a return.

It’s as easy as that!

The Booth results are your baselines results.

They do not have enough information to allow for proper hearing device programmings.  In order to get that info, we provide you with full hearing check at your local center.  We will then use the complete check to program and adjust your hearing devices.

It is also important that we visual inspect the ear.  Sometimes hearing loss is caused by wax, and we want to make sure this isn’t the case before you proceed.

We currently offer payment plans through Wells Fargo Health Advantage.  We will set you up with it.

They offer 12 months at no interest and extended plans from 4 to 5 years.

We accept all forms of payment: check, cash, credit card, or any combination of the sources mentioned.

Lots of places advertise hearing devices these days.

There are only 5 major hearing device labs.  90% of what you see advertised is from one of those labs.  The difference is the person and service that goes along with the device.

No hearing device is programming for you when ordered from the lab.  The hearing professional interacts with you to ensure the best sound and comfort. They counsel you and guide you.

At The Hearing Curve, we offer innovative services with the latest in hearing services to ensure you are most happy.

We couple the internet with local help to offer the most competitive hearing prices today.

They are all licensed properly by state health departments to prescribe, fit and service hearing devices.

Hearing Specialists tend to only work with hearing devices, which isn’t a bad thing at all!

If you have medical concerns or prefer a medical evaluation, then you would want to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT). Some of them work with audiologists to assist in medical related testings.  They also work with diseases of the ear and balance disorders.

If you need hearing improvement from hearing devices, then you can see someone from any profession as long as they are licensed with your state and maintain continued education.

You will need to register with us in order to receive full benefits.

You can also contact us at any time to make an appointment to visit your local center. We can register for you.

Yes, it is.

We try hard to make sure we have the best hearing device prices, but if you find a better price we will match it.  We need documentation though that has the final discounted price.  The make and model must be the same as what you wish to price match.  Please note that many places advertise discounts: 50% of MRSP, for instance.  We need to know the final discounted price: not a 50% off coupon.

All insurances are different.  We encourage you to call yours to see if you have any type of hearing device coverage.  If you do, we will participate so you can get your benefit.

Some insurances may have a preferred provider list.  If your local Hearing Curve’s center is not on the list, oftentimes you can still get your benefit.   You may want to still ask.  If your local center is not a preferred provider, this may only mean the reimbursement will come to you, not the provider.  We are fine with this approach too.

We don’t expect your insurance to cover 100% of your devices.  Most insurances don’t have hearing device coverage, but some do.  If you do get a benefit, we find most people get a few hundred dollars.

Contact us if you have questions.  We can help you with this.

1. Try a fresh battery.

2. Clean the microphone and speaker port.

3. If you have a speaker filter, please change that.

If you are still getting no sound, please contact us for assistance.

You can first visit our online store to see if you find what you need.

If not, please contact us.  We’ll be happy to assist you!

Please contact us with this information.  We will set up an appointment at your local center to recheck your hearing fully. We will then reprogram your hearing devices if necessary as a courtesy to you.  We provide this service as a courtesy for the life of your devices’ warranty.

If you experienced SUDDEN changes in your hearing, please seek the help of a medical professional immediately!  Call your doctor right away.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

We’ll be happy to assist you in any way. Please contact us to discuss your issue.