Hearing aids advert banned by watchdog after claiming £1,300 ‘pensioner’ models were ‘low cost’

An advert from a nationwide hearing aid provider has been banned by the UK’s advertising regulator for claiming that a “special pensioners’ hearing aid”, priced at £1,398 a pair, was “low cost” and “economical”.

Hidden Hearing Limited’s ad, which appeared in the Mail on Sunday in April 2021, promoted a “special” offer for pensioners where they could claim a £25 discount voucher when purchasing the Bernafon Zerena 1 hearing aid.

“The hearing aid is low cost, simple to operate and brings improved hearing to thousands,” the ad reads. “Not only are our pensioners [sic] hearing aids economical and discreet, but they could allow you to hear clearly again.”

However, when an anonymous complainant questioned whether claims that the Bernafon hearing aid was “low cost”, “economical” and a “special pensioners’ hearing aid” were misleading and unsubstantiated, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that the company had breached two clauses under the Committee of Advertising Practice’s (CAP) code.

In particular, section 3.1 states that adverts “must not materially mislead or be likely to do so”, while section 3.7 requires organisations to “hold documentary evidence” in support of claims made.

“We understood that the advertised hearing aid was not the cheapest that they offered. We also noted that while Hidden Hearing offered a £25 discount to pensioners who responded via the ad, the cost of the hearing aid once the discount had been applied was £1,373.

“We considered the consumers to whom the ad was targeted were unlikely to view that as inexpensive,” the regulator said.

The ASA also went on to add that the “overall impression” of the ad was that the Bernafon Zerena 1 hearing aid “had specific features that made it uniquely suitable for use by pensioners”.

They continued: “We understood from Hidden Hearing that the hearing aid was generally suitable for those with hearing loss and did not have special features which made it uniquely suitable for pensioners.

“We acknowledged that there was a discount of £25 available to pensioners if they responded via the ad, but we considered a reduction in the cost did not make the hearing aid itself “special” to pensioners.

“Because the ad implied the hearing aid had specific features that made it uniquely suitable for use by pensioners, but that was not the case, we concluded the ad was misleading.”

The ruling from the watchdog means the ad cannot appear again as it was presented in the Mail on Sunday.

In their initial response to the ASA’s investigation, Hidden Hearing Limited revealed that there was one product range which they sold which was cheaper than the one advertised, but it was “only available in limited styles” and had “limited technology”.

“[They said] it was one of the cheaper products they sold and was suitable for people on a budget, such as pensioners, when compared to their other product ranges. The most expensive product range they offered retailed at £5,499.

“The price of the Bernafon Zerena 1 also included unlimited follow-up appointments and tuning, a three-year supply of batteries, a six-month hearing test and full consultation.

“In their view, because the Bernafon Zerena 1 was one of their cheaper products, it was acceptable to describe it as ‘low cost’ and ‘economical’.

“For the same reason, and because they believed cost was an important consideration to pensioners and they offered a £25 discount to pensioners if they responded via the ad, they thought it was acceptable to use the claim ‘special pensioners’ hearing aid’,” the ruling reads.

The Limping Chicken approached Hidden Hearing Limited for a comment on the ASA’s final decision, but did not receive a response.

Photo: Hidden Hearing Limited (via ASA).

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.