If you purchased Audien Rechargeable Hearing Aids based on representations that they are the “best Hearing aid for tinnitus management” or that they “can be used for tinnitus management”, you may have been a victim of false advertising.
The Better Business Bureau’s (“BBB”) National Advertising Division recently announced that it had determined several of Audien, LLC’s advertising claims for its rechargeable hearing aids are unsupported and potentially deceptive to consumers. A routine monitoring program by the BBB division challenged the following claims from Audien’s marketing, and called for them to be discontinued:
- “Rechargeable Hearing Aids for $89/pair*”
- “Similar technology to $5000 hearing aids”
- “Can be used for Tinnitus management”
The BBB noted that Audien representing its products as “hearing aids” was potentially deceptive, as “hearing aids, which are usually programmed to address an individual’s degree of hearing loss across sound frequencies, are medical devices that cannot be purchased over-the-counter and are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)”, unlike Audien’s unregulated, over-the-counter products. This is particularly troubling as “consumers who may be experiencing hearing loss or tinnitus and who are facing financial hardship during this pandemic will . . . reasonably believe that Audien’s product is a regulated medical device similar to the more expensive hearing aids.”
The BBB found that Audien’s claims that its unregulated product can manage tinnitus “is a health-related claim and should be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.” Audien fails to provide such support for its claims, relying instead on vague “consumer feedback.”
The attorneys at Finkelstein, Blankinship, Frei-Pearson & Garber, LLP Have successfully represented consumers mislead by deceptive claims and are currently investigating this matter. If you have purchased or know someone who has purchased Audien Rechargeable Hearing Aids, and feel that you were misled by the company’s advertising, contact us to discuss your legal options.