The fraud case is brought by Starkey against former employees of the company who are charged with stealing $20 Million from the company. After recent trips to Starkey as well as other manufacturers it does not appear that Starkey is in any trouble financially. Their products have been consistently on par with other major manufacturers investing heavily in R&D. We can appreciate an aware consumer looking for good information.
Starkey is not in any danger. Their business is booming, with sales this year higher than they have ever been. The lawsuit alleges embezzlement by former employees and has no bearing on Starkey's current business or financial health. The alleged embezzlement happened in the past.
As far as I know Starkey is not going out of business, this company is active in Canada. You can contact the company directly at 800-387-9353. This is the Canadian Starkey contact phone number. If that number doesn't work, you will have to find the number for US Starkey.
Patricia Morrow, HIS, Melody Hearing Clinic.
Starkey products and technologies are likely to be around a long time. It's a company with somewhere above $500 million in annual reveneues so it's unlikely they are going anywhere for any reason. As the only independently owned manufacturer among those who sell worldwide, they may one day be bought by another manufacturer who wants a strong American presence.
The fraud case and subsequent indictments are against former employees and not Starkey. The company itself has a wonderful reputation in the industry and does not appear to be suffering any losses due to the misdealings of the former employees. That said, there are many other manufacturers on the market that are equally reputable and reliable. I would find out why Starkey is being recommended, investigate the other manufacturers on the market with similar features, and consider those if you have misgivings about going with Starkey products.
Good luck with your decision making!
The fraud case is brought by Starkey against former employees of the company who are charged with stealing $20 Million from the company. After meeting Mr. Austin (Starkey's founder) on several occasions, I find his kindness and generosity very genuine and am appalled that anyone would attempt to steal from him. As far as the company going out of business ... I would doubt that is even remotely possible. In fact, I assume others will feel as I do about Starkey and Mr. Austin and bring even stronger support for the company and its outstanding products. You should have no concern about purchasing the Starkey brand of products and am certain you can expect top tier support for your products for many years to come.
Former employees have been indicted, but the company itself is not under investigation. Sales in 2016 are up, business is proceeding as usual, their new product pipeline is healthy, so there's no reason to think that Starkey will not be a strong player going forward.
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