Rondo 2 battery life after 4+ years

[Evren]

I recently upgraded to Rondo 3, because my Rondo 2 battery life slowly dropped as low as 4 hours a day. Our insurance pay after 5 years for defective devices and with my Rondo died at about 4 years, which I thought of using 7+ years, big let down.

Then my mother had the same problem just 2 months after me (We both had our surgery and activations on the same day) I'd like to ask @MED-EL Moderatoris there some sort of Q/C problem with Rondo 2 batteries or have you ever further investigated the case as I see more users kept posting about the same problem. My mother will get her Rondo 2 replaced with a new one without insurance, but can you assure she won't have the problem again?

 

[Mary Beth]

@Joan

Did you also need to have your Rondo 2 processors replaced under warranty for decreased battery life?  How long had you used them?

 

@Evren

This is a concern of mine for all processors that can not use disposable batteries or user replaceable rechargeable batteries.  Last week I spent time on vacation in water and easily used my Rondo 1 processors in waterwear.  They are 9 years old.  Being able to use our processors for many years is important.  Although Rondo 1 processors can no longer be repaired by Med-El US nor can replacement parts/accessories be purchased by Med-El US, our audiologists can continue to program them and we can continue to use them.  This is important to me because each processor is quite expensive.  

[Joan]

@Mary Beth I did have my Rondo 2s replaced under warranty after 4 years due to decreased battery life. I love my Rondo 2s but, like you, I’m concerned about the life of the rechargeable batteries and my inability to use disposable batteries. Very glad I have Rondo 1 backups!

[Mary Featherston]

On 2/1/2024 at 8:26 AM, Joan said:

@Mary Beth I did have my Rondo 2s replaced under warranty after 4 years due to decreased battery life. I love my Rondo 2s but, like you, I’m concerned about the life of the rechargeable batteries and my inability to use disposable batteries. Very glad I have Rondo 1 backups!

I've had Rondo2s since 2018 - it was later in the year, so it will be six years in the fall.  I did get one replaced under warranty for decreased battery life but it was only down to 10 or so hours, not the four reported by the OP above.  One of the original two is still going strong and I use them almost all the time now (I have Sonnets as well and use them when I leave the house, which is fairly infrequent at this point).

[MED-EL Moderator]

Hi Evren, thank you for tagging us in this forum. We appreciate you sharing your experience regarding your and your mother’s RONDO 2 battery life, as well as your upgrade and her planned upgrade. There are no general quality issues related to RONDO 2 or RONDO 3 batteries that have been reported.

However, if you or your mother experiences issues with the RONDO 3, please reach out to your local MED-EL team as they are best placed to assist you directly. 

Kind regards,
Gordana

[Evren]

Dear @MED-EL ModeratorGordana,

You say there are no quality control issues reported for Rondo 2. But many users on the forum (including those other than those who only write in this thread) point to the contrary. 

So, let's assume the fact that battery life drops below 10 hours and up to 4 hours over time and that this happens in a short period of time like 4 years is not a quality issue; is it expected that different users will have different battery experiences? 

Let's assume that I used devices like artone, telecoil adapter, etc. that could maybe reduce battery life, how come my mom, as a casual user who didn't use any of these, suffered the same fate as me?

I think of something like "planned obsolescence" which is quite common in the industry and accelerates the circulation of money in the market. I'm not accusing you of this, but could it be that countries like ours, whose laws are not as "deterrent" as the US or the EU, are perhaps sending less durable devices? Not to mention that the brand new Rondo 3 I just bought came out of the box with a cracked bottom, thanks to our local Med-el officials who have been helpful in compensating for this, but how is this possible?

I'm sorry if I sound a bit mad about this, but I hope it's just bad luck to have so many misfortunes on top of each other. I am sure you are not taking the easy way out like many other companies do because of the non-strict legal systems of countries outside the US and EU. Thanks to you and our very successful surgeons, I can speak and understand more than ever before and I am grateful to you for that.

 

7 hours ago, MED-EL Moderator said:

Hi Evren, thank you for tagging us in this forum. We appreciate you sharing your experience regarding your and your mother’s RONDO 2 battery life, as well as your upgrade and her planned upgrade. There are no general quality issues related to RONDO 2 or RONDO 3 batteries that have been reported.

However, if you or your mother experiences issues with the RONDO 3, please reach out to your local MED-EL team as they are best placed to assist you directly. 

Kind regards,
Gordana

 

[MED-EL Moderator]

@Evren thank you for tagging us. We can assure you that the same batteries are shipped worldwide. However, with tens of thousands of RONDO 2 and RONDO 3 audio processors in use, some audio processors may fail prior to 5 years of use. These experiences may be reported to your local MED-EL team or through social media. 

Kind Regards, 

Gordana 

[Ahmed]

My rondo 2 battery was completely dead after 4 years.