What Great Hearing Care Service Actually Looks Like, Our Definition, and Our Commitment
By Kim Fishman, Audiologist | Hears Hearing & Hearables | Hears to U Clinic, Hopkins, Minnesota
I want to start with gratitude. If you’re here, reading about hearing aids, exploring your options, thinking seriously about your hearing health, thank you for trusting us with something that matters this much. We don’t take that lightly.
I’m an audiologist with 30 years in the field. I own a brick-and-mortar audiology clinic in Minnesota (Hears to U) and founded Hears Hearing & Hearables as an online store built around a simple belief: quality hearing care and quality hearing products should be accessible to more people, at prices that don’t require choosing between hearing well and living well.
One of the things I hear people say, and it genuinely makes me pause, is that they got ‘great service’ from a big-box retailer or warehouse store. When I ask what they mean, it usually comes down to: their order arrived on time. The product was in the box. Someone answered the phone.
That’s not bad. But it’s also not great service. Not in hearing care. And I want to be transparent about what we mean when we say we’re committed to great service, because I believe you deserve to know exactly what you’re getting, and what you’re not. We’d rather set honest expectations and exceed them than overpromise and disappoint.
Who We Are: Two Brands, One Mission
Hears Hearing & Hearables is our online store. We carry hearing aids, hearables, accessories, and a professional support service that helps people actually succeed with what they buy, if needed, not just receive it in a box.
Hears to U is our audiology clinic in Hopkins, Minnesota. For patients who can visit us in person, we offer the full range of professional hearing care: hearing evaluations, prescription fittings, real-ear measurement, demonstration programs, and ongoing follow-up care.
The two work together. If you buy online and need in-person support, we’ll help you find it, whether that’s at our Hopkins clinic or through our network of trusted hearing care providers we are building across the country. No matter where you are, we want you to succeed with what you buy.
The Most Important Thing to Understand: The Product Is Not the Service
This is something I say often because it matters more than most people realize going in.
The product is the hearing aid. The service is everything that helps you actually hear better with it.
A hearing aid in a box is just hardware. What makes it work for you, the right selection for your hearing profile, the correct fitting, the proper programming, the guidance on how to use it, the follow-up when something doesn’t feel right, that’s service. And service takes time, skill, and expertise.
On a basic level, some service is always included. On a deeper clinical level, some services cost extra because it involves a professional’s time, and that time has value. We will always be transparent about what’s included and what isn’t. We promise not to charge more than what’s necessary. Our goal is to stay in business and take home a paycheck to live a quality life, hopefully like you. We are genuinely grateful to be able to do work we believe in.
Our Three Tiers of Service: What Each Level Includes
We think of our service in three layers. Most customers will experience all three at different points in their relationship with us.
Level 1: Core Service– Always Included
- Responding promptly to emails, orders, and questions
- Accurately picking, packing, and shipping your order with tracking
- Registering product warranties on your behalf where applicable
- Managing returns and exchanges if a product isn’t right for you
- Maintaining a store that is easy to navigate and find what you need
- Publishing blogs, videos, and educational content to support your hearing journey
- Transparency in our pricing, our product selection, and our practices, always
Level 2: Behind-the-Scenes Service — What You Don’t Always See
- Carefully evaluating every product we carry for safety, quality, and real-world value, we don’t carry anything we haven’t assessed
- Negotiating the best possible pricing from manufacturers and passing savings directly to you
- Growing our membership base so we can negotiate even better pricing on your behalf (more on this below)
- Maintaining a healthy working environment for our team, because the people serving you need to be treated well to serve you well
- Ongoing training so our team understands every product in the store deeply enough to genuinely help you
- Building and maintaining relationships with trusted hearing care providers nationwide so we can connect you to someone local when you need in-person care
Level 3: Clinical and Personalized Service; May Cost Extra
- Customized guidance on selecting the right product for your specific hearing needs and lifestyle
- Remote technical support for setup, troubleshooting, and device optimization
- Hearing aid demonstrations, trying prescription devices before committing to purchase
- Connecting you to a trusted local provider in your area who meets our standards for professional care
- Telehealth consultations with our audiologist team for personalized hearing guidance
- Realistic expectation counseling, helping you understand what a device can and cannot do for your specific hearing situation
- In-person care at our Hears to U clinic in Hopkins, Minnesota for patients who can visit us directly
How Membership Makes Better Pricing Possible
One of the most important ways we serve our community is through our membership model, and I want to explain how it works because it’s central to what makes Hears Hearing & Hearables different from a standard online retailer.
Hearing aid manufacturers set pricing floors, minimum advertised prices below which retailers can’t go. But those floors are negotiable for larger volume buyers. The more products we sell as a community, the more leverage we have to negotiate better pricing from manufacturers, and we pass those savings directly to members.
Members of Hears Hearing & Hearables receive:
- Early access to promotions, sales, and new product launches before the general public
- 5% off all professional services on every visit
- Access to member-only pricing not available to non-members
- Rewards and benefits that grow with your membership
The more members we have, the better the pricing we can negotiate for everyone. It’s a community model where, when the community grows, everyone benefits. If you’re a frequent buyer or plan to invest in hearing health over the long term, membership pays for itself quickly.
What We’re Still Working On: Honesty About Where We’re Growing
Part of our commitment to transparency is being honest about the things we haven’t perfected yet.
Remote demonstrations are something we offer selectively, and we’re continuing to refine the process. We’ve had genuinely successful remote demos with the right patients (those who are technologically confident, have realistic expectations, and respect the process). We’ve also learned that remote demos have limitations that in-person care doesn’t. We’d rather be honest about that than pretend the experience is identical.
Our provider network is also ongoing. Our goal is to have a trusted local hearing care professional in every region, someone who meets our standards and can provide the in-person best-practice care that some of our products require. We’re building that network thoughtfully, not quickly. If you need a provider referral and we don’t have someone in your area yet, we’ll tell you that honestly and help you find the best available option.
What Great Service Means to Us: The Standard We Hold Ourselves To
Growing up in Minnesota, I remember what department stores like Dayton’s used to represent: a level of service that went beyond the transaction. You were greeted as a person, not a purchase. Your needs were anticipated, not just responded to. The experience itself was part of the value.
That’s the standard we hold ourselves to, not because it’s what’s expected, but because it’s what hearing care actually requires. Hearing loss is personal. It affects how you connect with the people you love, how you function at work, and how you experience the world. When someone trusts us with that, the least we can do is show up with the same level of care.
Service, to us, is helping you succeed to such an extent that you come back, become part of our community, and maybe even get to meet us someday when we take a little trip to your part of the world.
We are genuinely humbled that you are taking your hearing health seriously and allowing us to be part of that journey. That’s not something we say because it sounds good. It’s something we mean.
A Community Built on Trust
Hears Hearing & Hearables is run by people in the field, by hearing care professionals and our team, not by venture capitalists or corporate shareholders. Our interests are aligned with yours. We want you to hear better, trust the products you buy, and feel supported when you need help.
That’s also why we share patient stories. People like Anne, who came to us after being quoted $6,000 elsewhere and left with a solution that genuinely worked for her hearing needs at a fraction of that cost. Those stories aren’t marketing. They’re why we do this.
If you ever feel we’re not living up to what we’ve described here, call us on it. Genuinely. We’d rather hear from you and fix it than have you walk away thinking this was just words on a page.
Ready to Experience the Hears Hearing & Hearables Difference?
Whether you’re just starting to explore hearing aids, looking to upgrade, or trying to figure out if OTC or prescription is right for you, we’re here to help you figure it out. Not to sell you something. To help you hear better.
- Browse our OTC hearing aid selection
- Explore prescription hearing aid options
- Take our free Hearing Handicap Screening Test
- Join our membership for better pricing and early access
- Schedule a telehealth consultation
- Visit our Hears to U clinic in Hopkins, MN
Thank you for being here. Thank you for taking your hearing seriously. We are genuinely grateful.
— Kim Fishman, Audiologist | Hears Hearing & Hearables | Hears to U, Hopkins, Minnesota
Frequently Asked Questions: Our Service Model
What is included in Hears Hearing & Hearables’ basic service?
Basic service, always included at no extra cost. Customer service covers prompt responses to emails and questions, accurate order fulfillment with tracking, warranty registration, and return management. We also publish ongoing educational content (blogs, videos, buying guides) to support you throughout your hearing journey.
What services cost extra?
Deeper clinical services, including hearing aid demonstrations, telehealth consultations, remote technical support, and provider referrals, may involve additional fees because they require professional time and expertise. We are always transparent about costs upfront and will never charge more than what the service genuinely requires.
How does the membership model work?
Membership gives you access to member-only pricing, 5% off all professional services, early access to promotions and new product launches, and rewards that grow with your relationship with us. More members also means greater negotiating power with manufacturers, allowing us to secure better pricing for the whole community. [LINK to membership page]
Can I get in-person hearing care through Hears Hearing & Hearables?
Yes, in two ways. For patients in Minnesota, our Hears to U clinic in Hopkins offers in-person hearing evaluations, prescription fittings, real-ear measurement, and demonstration programs. For patients nationwide, we maintain a network of trusted hearing care providers and can refer you to someone local. We’ll be honest if we don’t yet have a provider in your specific area.
Is Hears Hearing & Hearables run by hearing professionals?
Yes. Hears Hearing & Hearables was founded and is led by Kim Fishman, a licensed audiologist with more than 25 years of clinical experience. The store is run by people in the hearing care field, not by outside investors or corporate shareholders. Our professional background directly informs which products we carry, how we evaluate them, and how we support customers.
What if I’m not satisfied with the service I receive?
Tell us. Genuinely. Our commitment to transparency means we want to hear when something isn’t working, so we can fix it. You can reach our team directly through our contact form.
