Who is locking your rebranded hearing aids?

[pvc]

Rebranded hearing aids have been around for a long time (at least a decade). As an example, here are the locked rebrands from the DIY School Hearing Aids PDF file named (Costco Hearing Aid List);

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Notice any patterns? Well they are all GN ReSound rebranded hearing aids. So there's that. But that is not my point.

The point is; Who is benefiting/benefitting by locking the rebranded hearing aids? Costco or GN ReSound? The locks diminish the value of Costco rebranded hearing aids! They have no resale value because they are locked. The locks also foster discontent between the seller and the customer when the customer finds out that the hearing aids are locked.

In my opinion; the main beneficiary of locked hearing aids is the manufacturer. Why? Because they can sell more hearing aids without tarnishing the image of the original high-value branded product.

Recently there has been discussion about who is in control of locking Amplifon rebranded GN ReSound hearing aids. In my opinion, the Amplifon chain or each Amplifon retail outlet has nothing-at-all to gain by locking their rebranded GN ReSound hearing aids. Now then, if a customer complains loudly about the lock, is it possible to to get one's hearing aid unlocked? Yes, I am guessing that removing the lock is possible on a case-by-case basis.

However, I am also guessing that the retailers are contractually obligated to maintain the locks. Otherwise, the entire locking scheme falls apart, right?

 

[pvc]

I updated the DIY School Hearing Aids PDF file named (Unlocking Locked Hearing Aids) attempting to describe who is benefiting by locking rebranded hearing aids? If you disagree, then let's have a discussion instead of being dismissive about opposing viewpoints.

Here's a snippet from the above mentioned PDF file. Though the snippet may become outdated.

Let's take a minute to think about who is benefiting from the locks on rebranded hearing aids? The retail seller, or the manufacturer? In my opinion/(imo); The main beneficiary of locked hearing aids is the manufacturer. Why? Because they can sell more hearing aids without tarnishing the image of the original high-value branded product. The retail outlet has nothing to gain by locking rebranded hearing aids. So why do retailers maintain the locks?

• The locks diminish the value of rebranded hearing aids! That is, rebranded/locked hearing aids have no resale value because they are locked.
• The locks may foster discontent between the retailer and the customer when the customer finds out that the hearing aids are locked.

I am guessing that retailers are contractually obligated to maintain the locks. Otherwise, the entire locking scheme falls apart if retailers choose to provide unlocked rebranded hearing aids. Savvy HoH customers could just buy cheap rebranded hearing aids instead of the premium high value brand.