OH was quoted 4,000€ for an aid which should last 4 years… and hopefully longer.
That was after a very iffy hearing test. I was present and not impressed !!
OH has had his ears dewaxed… 
and is now having very little trouble hearing, except when it’s me… 
4,000€ seems to be the going rate for hearing aids plus 4 years of support. The centre I went to did a very good test but when I went to an audiologue for a prescription in order to get a contribution from the insurance there was a very cursory check in a noisy room and the prescription effectively said “please supply this lady with hearing aids”
Is that not in the wedding vows, to not hear or obay, l maybe heard that wrong though 
Some years ago, I had health problems and was in hospital having all sorts of tests… including an amazingly comprehensive hearing test…
thus anything on the High St is possibly never going to match up… but, like you, OH’s test was just cursory and totally daft…
and the thought of spending 4000€ every 4 years… that’s daft too. in my opinion. certainly beyond our pocket… although Mutuelle picks up a portion.
So when/if OH really needs something… then we’ll look at what is on offer… for free… before anything else…
… “obey” did not figure in our wedding vows. it was deliberately left out. 
Very sensible indeed! I have a friend who got a test done privately with an audiologue and then bought his hearing aids on-line. I’m not sure I’d want to follow that path as they usually have to be adjusted once they arrive. In my case the High Street test was a great deal better than the audiologue and reasonably comprehensive but, as you say, that is a heck of a price and I am unlikely to be able to do it again…
Hearing aides are expensive that is true,however out of the 3900€ that I paid, the pay backs from mutuelle ,SS and tax, a certain amount is deductable. The final cost to me was 900€.
The difference in comfort to me with good hearing aides is like being in fog and walking into the sunshine.
I would never buy on line because who will look after the setting up and the changes that you need as your hearing changes.For me its a false economy to buy cheap.Mine have lasted 41/2 years and though showing external wear mainly where my glasses rub should go another year.
That’s interesting, Florian. I got a piffling amount back from SS and Mutuelle. I didn’t know you could offset against tax?
this was three years ago is that still available I don’t know
maybe this should be in a dedicated thread.
I don’t think it’s a live issueat the minute for any of us who’ve posted so far but I can see that a dedicated thread might well be useful in the future, or if anyone else wants to continue it of course 
<deity> how pathetic 
If one was being kind, one could say that they were updating it to reflect the current status… but…
However I’ll bet everyone who wants their passport to “reflect the current status” will turn out to have voted Leave.
I thought they all liked looking to the Victorian past when 95% of the globe was pink!