Board: Roseville Hearing Aid Company Took Advantage Of Elderly With Guarantee
By Kelly Ryan
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A hearing aid company promises to help people hear with the use of new technology, but some seniors who bought the product say they were talked into paying way too much.
Many said they were attracted by the advertised nothing-to-lose satisfaction guarantee, but when they asked for a refund, they got nowhere.
Douglas Webster says he and his wife Janet went to McDonald Hearing Aid Center in Roseville, taking home a hearing aid with the guarantee. When the hearing aid didn't work, he brought it back.
"I says, 'I want my money back,' and held them up—the hearing aids—and she wouldn't take 'em," he said.
A state licensing board heard the complaints loud and clear, and now it's looking to discipline the company for fraudulent and unlicensed activity. They say CEO Mark Moore, "Took advantage of elderly people, running a bait-and-switch technique to mislead them into spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily."
The state's complaint that represents 11 people also alleged when customers asked for refunds and were either charged a 15 percent cancellation fee, or denied a refund altogether.
The Sacramento Better Business Bureau says it's tried to get answers from the center for years as well.
McDonald Hearing Aid Center defended itself by email, saying the allegations, "resulted from statements made by a disgruntled competitor and not a customer. The company and its principals are aware of the allegations and have in all respects conducted business in full compliance with state law."
The Websters never got their refund, and when they insisted their money-back guarantee be honored, they say a saleswoman threatened to call police.
