Miracle Ear
Posted on: August 18, 2011
Miracle Ear is a nationwide hearing aid company that has franchises all over the United States. Miracle Ear stores offer free hearing tests and hearing aid consultations for the elderly and those with substantial hearing loss. The company has advertised through television commercials for a number of years. Although there are no doctors on site in many of the stores, audiometric testing is performed to determine the amount of hearing loss present and customers are fitted for hearing aids.http://hearingaids.miracle-ear.com/hearing_devices.html
Each franchise location is independently owned by local business investors, but the global headquarters sets guidelines for each store. There is a nationwide hotline that enables potential customers to schedule appointments with their local sales representative at a location near them. The Miracle Ear company was founded in 1948 and is a subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solutions. Their hearing aid products are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States.
There are over 1000 Miracle Ear retail locations. Approximately 850 of these stores are franchise locations, while the rest are operated and maintained directly by the company. There is currently a Miracle Ear retail store in nearly every US state and all major cities. These stores perform hearing tests for eligible individuals free of charge and service all of the hearing aids that are sold through their stores. Aside from offering a variety of different hearing aids for the hearing impaired, they also offer hearing aid replacement parts and hearing aid batteries.
Miracle Ear History
Miracle Ear was one of the first companies in the United States to begin producing and marketing hearing aids on a broadscale basis. They are currently the number one producer and distributer or hearing aids and hearing loss products. The company was founded in 1948 as Dahlberg, Inc. This company was started by Kenneth Dahlberg as a distribution company for ME Manufacturing and Services, the top hearing aid manufacturer in the world. Miracle Ear is know a subsidiary of Amplifon, which is a global hearing aid distributor that is based in Italy.http://www.tcbmag.com/halloffame/minnesotabusinesshalloffame/104302p1.aspx
The Miracle Ear company rose to popularity at the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s as the result of several catchy television commercials which promoted their hearing aid products. There are now over 1000 retail location nationwide in the US that offer hearing tests and hearing aids locally to the hearing impaired and those suffering from hearing loss.
Miracle Ear Buying Guide
Shoppers can find a listing of Miracle Ear locations near them on the company website or by calling to schedule an appointment using the nationwide hotline. This number is 1-877-733-7525. Prior to visiting with a hearing aid specialist at a local Miracle Ear store, shoppers should read customer reviews and a list of complaints about this company that can be found online. The majority of complaints regarding Miracle Ear and the local stores do not involve the hearing aids themselves, but instead relate to customer service issues on a local level.http://www.consumeraffairs.com/health/hearing/miracle_ear.html
Since the hearing aid specialists at these stores are not doctors, it is also beneficial if you also first consult with your physician about your hearing loss. Your primary care physician may refer you to an audiologist or hearing specialist for a consultation.
Miracle Ear Commercial
This is a popular Miracle Ear television commercial that aired nationwide in the United States at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s. It was this commercial and a series of others that led to a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Miracle Ear and its founder on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission in 1995.