Hearing aids sold online are bought on trust: you cannot try them on in a shop, so the trial period and the return terms do the job a fitting room would. Those terms differ more than the marketing suggests. The NerdBible editorial desk read the returns policy, warranty page and FAQ of every brand on our hearing aid ranking, ten in all, on 5 October, and set out what each one says about the length of the trial, when the clock starts, what a return costs, how long the warranty runs and whether you need a phone app to use the devices. The short version: trials run from 30 to 120 days, with 45 days the most common; four of the ten put return shipping on the buyer; and only Jabra Enhance states a standard warranty longer than a year without contradicting itself.
How we did it
For each brand we read only the vendor's own pages: its refund or returns policy, its terms of sale, its warranty page and its FAQ or help centre, all linked below. We recorded five things:
- Trial length and start: the number of days and the event that starts the count (delivery, receipt or fitting), as the vendor words it.
- Return costs: any restocking or processing fee, any amount deducted from the refund, and who pays to send the devices back.
- Warranty: the standard warranty included with the hearing aids, not paid extensions.
- Phone app: whether the vendor says a smartphone app is needed to adjust the devices.
We did not buy or return any devices, so this is what each company says it will do, not a record of what happened to a customer. Policies apply to purchases made directly from the brand's own website; several brands say returns of devices bought from Amazon or a shop follow that seller's rules instead. Where a page was silent, the table says "Not stated".
The table
| Brand | Trial and start | Return costs | Warranty | Phone app needed? |
|---|
| Jabra Enhance | 100 days from delivery | No restocking fee; Jabra pays return shipping | 3 years, plus 3 years loss and damage ($195 deductible) | Yes |
| MDHearing | 60 days from delivery | Original shipping not refunded; prepaid return in most cases | 1 year from receipt | No (app on some models) |
| Audien Hearing | 45 days from receipt | Buyer pays return shipping | 1 year from delivery | No (volume button) |
| Hear.com | 45 days from fitting | "No hidden fees or penalties" | 1 to 3 years loss and damage, by model | Depends on model |
| Nebroo | 120 days from receipt | Buyer pays return shipping, no label supplied | 1 year from purchase | No (button) |
| Elehear | 45 days from receipt | Shipping fees, discounts and coupons deducted; Elehear covers the return label | 1 year from delivery | Not stated |
| Soundbright | 45 days from delivery | Prepaid UPS label on request; accessories not refundable | Not stated | No on Mini; app optional on Horizon Pro |
| Oricle | 30 days from delivery | $4.95 processing fee plus all shipping costs deducted | Not stated (paid 1-year plan offered) | No (button) |
| Ceretone | 60 days from receipt | Ceretone pays return shipping | 1 year from purchase | Yes |
| Cearvol | 45 days from delivery | Shipping fees, discounts and coupons deducted; buyer pays return shipping | 1 year (FAQ) or 3 years (returns policy) | No (volume buttons) |
What stands out
Trials: 30 to 120 days, and 45 is the norm
Five of the ten brands offer 45 days, which is also the median. Nebroo is longest at 120 days "from the time you receive your item", then Jabra Enhance at 100 days, MDHearing and Ceretone at 60, and Oricle shortest at 30. Nine brands start the clock at delivery or receipt. Hear.com is the exception because it sells through hearing care professionals: its 45 days begin after the devices are adjusted for you, with a 30-day adjustment period followed by "up to 15 additional days" to return them.
The deadline is often earlier than the last day
Several policies set a second deadline inside the trial. Audien says the return must be "in transit by the 45th day after delivery", and asks for a phone call or video appointment before it approves any return. Elehear, Cearvol and Oricle each require the parcel to be sent within 7 days of the return label being issued. Jabra Enhance is the most forgiving on timing: you must start the return by midnight Eastern time on the last day, and the devices must arrive within 14 days after the window closes.
Who pays to send them back
Jabra Enhance and Ceretone both say they cover return shipping during the trial, and Jabra adds "no restocking fees". Soundbright offers a prepaid UPS label on request but will not refund a label you buy yourself. MDHearing's help centre says return shipping is prepaid "in most cases", but if your original order shipped free, the return "may be subject to a shipping fee": either a $20 Worry-free Shipping Kit or posting it yourself at your own risk, according to its return shipping article. Its terms of sale also refer to "any applicable restocking fee" without naming an amount, and say shipping and handling charges are not refunded.
Four brands put the return postage on you: Audien ("Customers are responsible for paying return shipping fees"), Nebroo ("we do not provide return labels", with returns going to a warehouse in Ontario, Canada), Oricle and Cearvol. Oricle is the only brand that names a flat deduction: a $4.95 processing fee "and all shipping costs" come off the refund. Elehear and Cearvol both refund "the purchase price (minus any shipping fees, discounts, or coupons applied)", and both say the trial applies "only once per device model".
Warranties are mostly one year, and one brand contradicts itself
Five brands (MDHearing, Audien, Nebroo, Elehear and Ceretone) state a one-year standard warranty, counted from purchase, delivery or receipt depending on the brand, and Cearvol's FAQ says the same. Jabra Enhance is the only one with a clear three-year warranty, and it adds three years of loss and damage cover with a $195 deductible. Hear.com says its aids carry manufacturer loss and damage cover of "1 to 3 years, depending on the technology level and model". Cearvol's returns policy says its hearing aids "come with a 3-year warranty", while its FAQ says "a 1-year warranty from the date of purchase". If you buy Cearvol, ask for the warranty in writing. We found no standard warranty term on Soundbright's or Oricle's pages; Oricle's warranty page describes a paid one-year protection plan rather than a basic warranty.
Two brands need a smartphone
Jabra Enhance says "you need a compatible smartphone or tablet" to control and customise its Enhance Select aids. Ceretone's FAQ says its aids "require app on a phone to do volume adjustment and program switching". The rest can be adjusted on the device: MDHearing, Audien, Nebroo, Oricle and Cearvol all describe buttons or a rocker for volume, and Soundbright's Mini uses "one button" while its Horizon Pro switches modes "with a simple tap on the device or through the app". If you do not use a smartphone, check this before anything else.
Some brands ask you to wait before returning
Ceretone asks buyers to use the devices "for at least 25 days in various conditions, with a minimum usage of 6 hours per day" before starting a return, and Elehear and Cearvol recommend at least three weeks. Their reasoning is that the brain takes time to adjust to amplified sound. That is reasonable advice, but it eats into a short trial: on a 30-day or 45-day trial, three weeks of adjustment leaves little time to decide and post the devices back.
What to check before you buy
- Buy from the brand's own site if the trial matters to you. Jabra Enhance, Elehear and Audien each say their trial or return policy does not apply, or is different, for devices bought through other retailers.
- Note the delivery date and work out the real deadline. Count from delivery, then subtract any "must be in transit" or "within 7 days of the label" rule.
- Ask who pays for the return label, and what is deducted. Original shipping, processing fees and discounts can all come off the refund.
- Keep every box, cable and free gift. Most policies refuse a full refund, or deduct the item's value, if anything from the original package is missing.
- Get the warranty in writing when the brand's own pages disagree, as Cearvol's do.
- Check the app requirement against the phone you actually own, and ask whether the aids work without it.
The US Food and Drug Administration notes that its rules for over-the-counter hearing aids do not require a warranty, and advises buyers to understand the terms of any return or warranty period from the manufacturer. That makes the vendor's own policy the only protection beyond your card issuer and consumer law.
See a hearing professional first
Over-the-counter hearing aids are intended for adults 18 and over with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, according to the FDA. The FDA lists signs that mean you should see a doctor, preferably an ear specialist, rather than buy a device off the shelf, including a sudden change in hearing, ringing or worse hearing in only one ear, ear pain, fluid from the ear and severe dizziness. This article compares purchase terms only and is not medical advice: a hearing test with an audiologist or other qualified hearing professional is the right first step before choosing any hearing aid.
