Chinese knockoff ?

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kimko

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A E-bay vendor from hong kong is selling siemens lotus for under $200 each, sounds like a decent backup pair . Wonder if they are real?
The chinese are quite good at knockoffs anyway and if you have ever opened up a HA there is a pitiful amount of electronics inside to copy.
I know they should not be worth thousands of dollars each.
Anyone try these?
 
kimko said:
A E-bay vendor from hong kong is selling siemens lotus for under $200 each, sounds like a decent backup pair . Wonder if they are real?
The chinese are quite good at knockoffs anyway and if you have ever opened up a HA there is a pitiful amount of electronics inside to copy.
I know they should not be worth thousands of dollars each.
Anyone try these?
Click to expand...

Why do you need them if you live in Canada? Don't you get a benefit to purchase hearing aids?
 
As someone that worked in federal law enforcement we had numerous seminars about the dangers of knock offs. Many of the dangers were things that most people would never even think of. Hong Kong was a particular problem area, and believe it or not, many of them are made with materials that aren't safe, in general in terms of using the product in your home, to wear or to consume.....hence, the cheap made knock off. I'd advise that you put the money towards an established and respected brand that makes a solid..and safe...product.

Laura
 
The trouble is Laura that these reputable companies have been screwing folks like us over for many years and its about time some competition brought the costs back to earth. If they use the same components and an audiologist can set them up for you the rest is just hype.
 
Lots of stuff gets made in china. So all they have to do is rebrand their product and they have the same thing cheaper. Lots of american companies do the same thing, sell the exact same product with different names for different prices.
Hell, we give the chinese all they need to make equipment, have them manufacture them. What's to stop a manufacture in china from copying everything? The chinese government will send out a spin doctor to put out a story about cracking down on fakes but laugh their asses off at the stupid americans
 
kimko said:
The trouble is Laura that these reputable companies have been screwing folks like us over for many years and its about time some competition brought the costs back to earth. If they use the same components and an audiologist can set them up for you the rest is just hype.
Click to expand...

I appreciate your frustration but wearing a knock off from Hong Kong is going to come with serious risks. A hearing aid that works and is safe, passes rigorous testing before it's approved for sale. The hearing aids on Ebay aren't.

It's like a surgeon saying, "Hey, you're in luck! This week, I'm having a special on implants - only $700 for the procedure, you won't get a better deal anywhere!" When you go to a doctor, you pay for their education, their training, and their skill. It's not cheap. People that have chosen to ignore the warning to save money, end up in coffins. I know you read about it all the time. They’re actually people foolish enough to allow those with no skill or qualifications to operate on them because they actually think they're coming out on top financially. They don't, they end up dead or disfigured. Priscilla Presley comes to mind. Check the link before for her story.


Bitten and Bound Priscilla Presley's Plastic Surgery Nightmare (Photos) » Bitten and Bound

Knock off sneakers have posed serious health risks for people that thought they were getting a mere imitation...and they learned the hard way that it wasn't. And you want to put knock offs in your ears? I've come to realize that people prefer to do things the cheap and easy way even if they come with expensive, and often serious, consquences. It's your hearing. Whatever you hear, it's a gift and it shouldn't be treated lightly.

Laura
 
deafbirk said:
Lots of stuff gets made in china. So all they have to do is rebrand their product and they have the same thing cheaper. Lots of american companies do the same thing, sell the exact same product with different names for different prices.
Hell, we give the chinese all they need to make equipment, have them manufacture them. What's to stop a manufacture in china from copying everything? The chinese government will send out a spin doctor to put out a story about cracking down on fakes but laugh their asses off at the stupid americans
Click to expand...

They're not rebranding. They're making imitation, cheap products that are often dangerous. Care for imitation Cancer drugs that don't work? How about feeding a baby knock off formula? I mean it's cheap and everything is made in China so it should be safe? Why not use knock off wiring for your Christmas lights next year?

Laura
 
Buying a knock off (or using an unlisenced hearing aid dispenser) basically means that you think that the 8 years of higher education audiologists are required to have is pointless and that you or someone with access to the Internet is more capable of fitting an advanced computer to your hearing loss.

And to Laura's points, it is well known that products made in other countries are not subject to rigorous tests. There was the pet food fiasco, the lead paint infant toys, etc.
When a manufacturer cares more about their bottom line than the quality of their product that is a clear sign that they don't care about their customers.

If you think Laura is exaggerating about knock off cancer drugs, she isn't. It is a real problem in many countries. People and their doctors place their hope in a treatment and sometimes (not often in the US or Canada) the treatment is a knock off that someone used to make some money (FYI most cancer treatments cost in excess of $5,000 per month and some cost as much as $25,000 or more per treatment)
 
Lau2046 said:
As someone that worked in federal law enforcement we had numerous seminars about the dangers of knock offs. Many of the dangers were things that most people would never even think of. Hong Kong was a particular problem area, and believe it or not, many of them are made with materials that aren't safe, in general in terms of using the product in your home, to wear or to consume.....hence, the cheap made knock off. I'd advise that you put the money towards an established and respected brand that makes a solid..and safe...product.

Laura
Click to expand...


I worked for the government ( Senior Health and Hospitals Department) and China uses Lead ( a heavy metal ) in their plastics to release the plastic from molds easier, the lead has caused damage to skin as well as other health issues, Id be cautious, they are now using waste and other hazardous materials in shoes and other stuff. I have experienced a child wearing a new pair of china made shoes to six flags (2 years old ) complaining his feet burned, when they took them off the boys feet were blistered like he was walking on hot coals, he needed skin grafts and took months to recover, there were some very cauctic materials found in the rubber/foam/plastics used to make the shoes.. Be cautious.
 
There loads of people using the Siemens Lotus HAs as spares on the hearing aid forums website. Some of them have said, that the sound is better then their normal HAs. I personally haven't tried them and don't plan to try them but read thru the thread about it.
 
Corporate propaganda can be just as dangerous as those running shoes, ie; drinking water these days isn't safe unless its in a bottle. Corporations care about the bottom line period. you might just as easily find corruption examples in your own back yard as China, since so many products come out of that country chances are more scams will pop up from there.
Fear has always been the favorite propaganda sales tool, the consumer feels like a sitting duck these days and has to decide for themselves what is or isn't good for them. Asurance is a umbrella with holes in it.
The last time I went to the audioligst I think she was trying to pay for that education in one shot, she wanted 7000.00 for a pair of HA, get real!
I was appauled at an eye surgeon asking my mother if she wanted the good or cheap lenses before her caterac surgery, seems upselling is everywhere.
 
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