This review speaks to the newly opened Cupertino, Calif., office and the national headquarters in…read moreMinnesota. It's not just that the local folks were great (and they were!) but I'm certain it's also because of the company culture.
My husband was driving me nuts with his mumbling. And when speaking to me from a room away or when not directly facing me, his words were mushy, garbled -- if I heard them at all. I missed dialogue at plays. I appreciated the "closed captions" option on TV programs or streamed content.
Of course, the issue was me. My hearing.
My whole world is now richer, brighter, and ever more audible thanks to the wonderful employees of and the fabulous company called Starkey Hearing.
The company looked at the audiogram (measuring sound intensity vs frequency) from my healthcare plan, repeated the test to validate the findings, suggested the EDGE AI hearing aid and gave me a fitting that instantly improved my hearing. I had zero issues getting used to slipping the HAs over my ears and wearing them all day. I loved the settings I could choose with an inconspicuous press of a button on my left HA for a crowd scene or noisy restaurant or a volume setting on my right HA. Or from the Starkey app on my smartphone. I can even choose to have my specific environment analyzed by AI to give me an "in-the-moment" change in settings.
Since getting the HAs, I've been to large events with noises bouncing everywhere, and I can hear a pal or the speaker with ease. And for my friends with supersoft voices, I just crank the volume.
I'm an active gal, lifting lots of things, bending down a lot and, out of habit, floofing my curly hair. Downward Dog exercises were the worst. The HA would sometimes come loose when my head was inches from the ground, butt in the air. Easy fix: an ear fitting of a bit of plastic made just for me.
Hubby and I were able to couple a vacation to the Land of Lakes (so beautiful, so green, so friendly) with a visit to Starkey headquarters where they treated me like royalty and made me feel like family.
Sorry, this is getting to be TL:DR (Too Long, Didn't Read), but still, I have more to say! To the receptionist who greeted me, to the professional who administered a superior audiogram with tiny mikes attached to headphones to send more specific test sounds to my ears, to the pro who created a custom mold of my ear canals that formed the basis of custom inserts that fit better than a glove, to the follow-up meeting the next day to double check all was well before I returned to California, well, I thank you so much. Several C-suite executives greeted me and served me, too.
But here's what surprised me the most. While waiting for the custom plastic part to solidify over the custom molds made from my ears, I noticed a gentleman getting attention from Bill Austin, founder, chairman and principal owner of the company. I thought whoa, that guy has connections! But no, the next client also was seen by him. And the next one. And then it was my turn.
I almost never take selfies, but I had to in this instance.
Bill Austin has provided hearing aids to presidents, popes, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela, to name a few. His missions to some of the poorest parts of the world to provide free HAs to the underprivileged are inspiring and more.
And there is more. The whole headquarters operation is in an open plan, with visibility into all parts of the process and into the all-glass doors of folks with offices. No fancy setting for the highest officials. And here's what may have touched me most and made me feel so very good about the company culture: Chairman Austin's bar-stool perch -- where he smooths the edges of the custom inserts on a grinding/polishing wheel and checks on the fittings -- is right next to the shipping clerk. Literally, they work a few feet away.
That the company treats its employees with such equality and respect made me happier yet to have chosen Starkey. Customer service provided so well from the chairman to the shipping desk represents something worth celebrating.
One local note, too: When an issue with one of my HAs arose, I was referred to Starkey's new office in the SF Bay Area. The receptionist and the audiologist were friendly and more. I walked out with a loaner HA that was identical to my own (even the golden color to blend in with my locks) to use until mine could be repaired or replaced. It's the company culture!
I'll stop now. (OK, one more: The antique auto museum and HA museum at the headquarters just outside of Minneapolis were treats for my eyes and made the short waits a delight!) OK. I'll really stop.
No, just one more thing: Hubby loves Starkey, too. He doesn't have to repeat himself anymore.
