Refund policy
Smart Hearing — Refund Policy
Our Promise: Warranty & 45-Day Better Hearing Guarantee
At Smart Hearing we stand by every product we make. We want you to feel confident and comfortable, so we include:
- A full one-year warranty from the date your hearing aids arrive. If a manufacturing issue arises during this time, we'll happily replace your aids at no charge.
- A 45-day trial under our Better Hearing Guarantee: experience your hearing aids at home and out and about. If after a genuine trial* (see section "important information" below) you don't notice better hearing compared to wearing no hearing aids at all, you can return them for a refund.
Your statutory rights under UK consumer law apply alongside everything below. Nothing in this policy reduces or limits those rights.
If you have any questions or concerns at any point, please reach out — our friendly team is here to help.
Before You Buy
The 45-Day Better Hearing Guarantee is a voluntary commercial policy we offer in addition to your statutory rights. It comes with conditions we define and publish below, and it does not apply in every circumstance. Please read this policy in full before purchasing.
Under UK law (Regulation 28(3)(a) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013), in-ear medical devices that have been opened and used are exempt from the standard 14-day right of cancellation on hygiene grounds. Our 45-Day Guarantee is more generous than the law requires for opened devices — but it carries the conditions set out in this policy.
If You Change Your Mind Within 14 Days (Sealed Product)
If your hearing aids arrive and you decide not to open them, you can return them within 14 days of delivery for a full refund under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. The product must be unopened, with the factory hygiene seal intact, and returned in its original packaging. Return postage is at your expense.
Once the hygiene seal has been broken and the hearing aids have been handled or used, the 14-day cancellation right no longer applies, because in-ear devices come into direct contact with the ear canal and cannot be resold to another customer for hygiene reasons. Our 45-Day Better Hearing Guarantee below — and your separate statutory rights for faulty products — continue to apply.
Thinking About a Return? We're Here to Help
Should you wish to return your hearing aids during the 45-day guarantee period, just follow these steps:
- Contact us by email at support@trysmarthearing.com. We'll listen to your concerns and walk you through the process.
- If we can't resolve the issue together, we'll send you return instructions to the correct return warehouse based on your location.
- Send your hearing aids back using a tracked service, so we can both follow their journey back to the warehouse.
- Include them in their original packaging with all accessories (charging case, cable, cleaning brush, ear tips, tools, etc.) and include your order number so we can process your refund quickly.
Return postage costs are the responsibility of the customer. We recommend a tracked service for your peace of mind. Refunds under the Better Hearing Guarantee cannot be processed before the returned item is received and inspected.
Please use the return address we send you. Addresses printed on courier tracking labels — including sorting hub addresses — aren't return addresses and parcels sent there cannot be linked to your order. Your separate statutory rights for faulty products are not affected by this.
Manufacturing Issues
If your hearing aids develop a confirmed manufacturing fault, we'll provide a refund or replacement. Everyday wear and tear, water damage beyond the product's rated resistance, or accidental damage aren't considered manufacturing defects.
Your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply where the product is faulty, not as described, or not fit for purpose. We assess every claim on its merits. A device that powers on and amplifies sound as designed will not normally be considered faulty merely because of a personal preference for a different product — but where genuine quality, fitness-for-purpose, or as-described issues arise, we will address them properly.
Diminished Value Deduction on Used Returns
Where hearing aids are returned after having been worn, the value of the device has been reduced beyond what is necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning. Once worn in the ear canal, a device cannot be resold as new and must undergo sanitisation, inspection and quality assurance before any onward handling.
In these cases, a diminished value deduction may apply to reflect this reduction in value. This is not applied automatically. We'll always confirm and explain any applicable deduction before you send anything back.
After Your 45 Days
The 45-day window is designed to give you ample time to experience the product in real-life situations. Returns requested after this period aren't eligible under our Better Hearing Guarantee. In exceptional circumstances we may consider a goodwill resolution at our discretion. Your statutory rights for faulty products are not limited to this 45-day window.
Items We Can't Accept Back
For hygiene and safety reasons, the following are final sale under our Better Hearing Guarantee:
- Extended warranty plans
- Cleaning kits
- Replacement ear tip sets
- Drying or disinfection devices
Your statutory rights in respect of faulty goods are not affected by this exclusion.
How We Process Your Refund
Once we receive your return, we'll inspect it within 5–7 business days. If everything meets the return criteria, we'll issue your refund to the original payment method. Your bank or card provider may take additional time to finalise the transaction.
If you haven't seen your refund yet:
- Check your bank or card statement.
- Contact your card provider about processing times.
- Email us — we're always happy to help track it down.
Goodwill Replacements & Exceptional Resolutions
In certain exceptional situations — including delivery disputes, post-delivery loss, or issues outside standard insurance coverage — we may provide a complimentary replacement as a one-time goodwill gesture, at our discretion. Each case is assessed on its own facts.
A goodwill replacement is issued to resolve the original matter and is not a new purchase or an extension of the original guarantee. Where your statutory rights under UK consumer law require otherwise, those rights apply.
Brain Adaptation Period
Hearing aids require a brain adaptation period. Clinical research consistently shows that the brain needs time to relearn how to process amplified sound, and that assessments conducted within the first one to two weeks of use produce misleading results that don't reflect the true benefit of the device (Taylor, 2007 — Audiology Online; Anderson Gosselin & Gagné, 2020 — PubMed/NIH).
We strongly recommend persisting through at least the first 10 days before forming a view on whether the device works for you, and contacting our support team if any issues arise — most early-stage discomfort and sound issues resolve with continued wear and small fitting adjustments. The Better Hearing Guarantee is designed for assessments made after a genuine trial rather than first impressions.
*Important Information About Our Guarantee
Smart Hearing hearing aids are designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss in everyday situations. They are not suitable for severe or profound hearing loss. If you're unsure about your level of hearing loss, we strongly recommend consulting a qualified audiologist or healthcare professional before purchase.
Our Better Hearing Guarantee is based on:
- A genuine trial and hearing experience — not change of mind, comfort preference, or aesthetic preference.
- Real-world usage over a reasonable period of consistent use across normal day-to-day environments — conversation, TV, outdoors, social settings — not just a few minutes, hours or days.
- Comparison with wearing no hearing aids at all — not with NHS hearing aids, prescription devices, or other brands. Different hearing aids are calibrated and fitted differently and direct comparison isn't a fair benchmark.
- Completion of basic troubleshooting and fitting guidance with our support team where required, as small adjustments often resolve early-stage issues.
The Better Hearing Guarantee is a voluntary commercial policy offered in addition to your statutory rights. Returns falling outside its scope (for example, without genuine usage, general dissatisfaction unrelated to hearing improvement, very narrow ear canals, or other medical conditions unrelated to the hearing aids or outside the intended use case) may be declined under this commercial guarantee or refunded only partially.
Returns based solely on personal preference — device size, button firmness, perceived comfort — are not covered under the Better Hearing Guarantee.
A. Common Situations and How Our Guarantee Applies
The situations below come up regularly. We address each one so you understand how the Better Hearing Guarantee applies and what we can help you with. Where UK consumer law gives you separate statutory rights for a faulty product, those rights apply alongside.
A.1 Feedback and Whistling
A whistling or feedback sound is almost always caused by the dome not creating an adequate seal in the ear canal — either because the dome size is too small, insertion depth is insufficient, or the aid isn't seated correctly. This is typically a fitting issue resolvable by adjusting the dome size or insertion technique, and our support team can guide you through this in minutes. Persistent feedback that cannot be resolved through fitting adjustment may indicate anatomical incompatibility, which falls outside the scope of our Better Hearing Guarantee.
A.2 Sounds Too Loud, Sharp, or Overwhelming
If sounds feel too loud or sharp at first use, this is a normal and well-documented neurological process called auditory acclimatisation (Taylor, 2007; Anderson Gosselin & Gagné, 2020). After hearing loss, the brain reduces sensitivity to sounds it's no longer receiving. When hearing aids restore those sounds, the brain hasn't yet readjusted. This typically resolves within one to two weeks of consistent use. We recommend starting at a lower volume and building up gradually.
A.3 Own Voice Sounds Strange, Echo-Like, or Boomy
Hearing your own voice differently — hollow, echoey, or as if speaking into a barrel — is a recognised audiological phenomenon called the occlusion effect (Winkler et al., 2016). It occurs when the dome partially seals the ear canal, and is addressable by switching to a more open dome style or adjusting insertion depth.
A.4 Ear Discomfort or Pressure During Insertion
Some discomfort during the first few days is normal as your ears adjust. In almost all cases, switching to a smaller dome size resolves it immediately — which is why we include five dome sizes in every box. Persistent discomfort that cannot be resolved through dome adjustment may indicate anatomical sensitivity, which falls outside the scope of our Better Hearing Guarantee. Don't persist with a dome that causes pain — contact us.
A.5 Skin Irritation or Sensitivity
Our domes are made from soft, medical-grade hypoallergenic silicone. A small number of users may experience individual sensitivity. If you experience redness or irritation, stop use temporarily. Third-party hypoallergenic or foam domes are available from specialist suppliers. Individual skin sensitivity isn't covered under our Better Hearing Guarantee.
A.6 Bluetooth or App Features Not Working
The Smart Hearing Comfort model does not include Bluetooth connectivity or smartphone app control. These features aren't referenced on the Comfort product page and aren't part of the Comfort model specification. Please review the product specifications on our website before purchasing. If Bluetooth matters to you, contact us before purchasing and we'll advise on the appropriate model.
A.7 Partial Improvement
Our Better Hearing Guarantee is based on whether you experience improvement in hearing compared to wearing no hearing aids at all. The guarantee is designed for the situation where the device doesn't deliver hearing improvement — not for situations where improvement is experienced but expectations weren't fully met across all environments. Statements like "it helps a bit but not enough" or "TV is clearer but conversations are still difficult" indicate the product is working as designed. These don't qualify under the Better Hearing Guarantee, though we're always happy to help with fitting and settings to push the experience further.
A.8 Comparison to Previous Hearing Aids or Other Devices
Our guarantee asks one question: do you hear better than without any hearing aid at all? That's the benchmark — because anything else becomes entirely personal.
Everyone's hearing is different. Someone who's worn NHS aids calibrated to their exact audiogram by a specialist will have a different experience from someone trying amplification for the first time. There's also an important distinction between perceived value and objective improvement — if you've previously used a £3,000 custom-fitted device, another hearing aid may feel like a step down even if it genuinely improves your hearing. The question stays simple: compared to wearing nothing, is your hearing improved? If yes, the product is doing what it's designed to do.
A.9 Reduced Sound or No Sound — Check the Wax Guard First
If your hearing aids produce reduced or no sound, the most common cause is a blocked wax guard — a small replaceable filter that prevents earwax entering the device. Every box includes eight replacement wax guards and a replacement tool. Please replace the wax guard before contacting us about a sound issue. Instructions are in your user manual. A blocked wax guard is a maintenance situation rather than a product fault.
A.10 Returns After 45 Days
The Better Hearing Guarantee applies to returns requested within 45 days of delivery. The 45-day period is designed to give you more than six weeks to experience the product in real-life situations. In exceptional circumstances we may consider a goodwill resolution at our discretion. Your statutory rights for faulty products are not limited to this 45-day window.
We're Always Here for You
Whether you have a simple question or need assistance with a return, email support@trysmarthearing.com. Our team is committed to making your Smart Hearing experience as smooth and reassuring as possible.
This policy is governed by English law. Nothing in this policy reduces or limits your statutory rights under UK consumer law. In the event of any conflict between this policy and your statutory rights, your statutory rights prevail.
Smart Hearing | trysmarthearing.com | support@trysmarthearing.com
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