My Thoughts on FAMILEO: The Family Journal for Staying Connected!

There's nothing simpler today than to stay in touch with loved ones, thanks to instant messaging services or video calls! Despite this apparent ease, it often happens that some family members feel isolated: indeed, few older adults use WhatsApp or social media.

To keep your entire family connected, companies like Famileo have developed the concept of a family newsletter, which each family member can contribute to with their photos and updates, and it will then be printed and sent directly to the recipient. In recent months, I had the pleasure of testing a Famileo box and I'm excited to share my thoughts on it.

What is Familéo?

👍 I Loved It

• The concept of Famileo, which has won over my entire family,
• Seeing my grandmother delighted and being able to discuss her newsletter with her,
• The user-friendly nature of the Famileo app,
• The attractive pricing and the option to share the payment,
• The final result of the newsletter,
• The ability to adjust the subscription according to one’s budget.

❌ What I Liked Less

• The quality of the paper is fairly average,
• 30 messages can sometimes feel a bit limited if there are many of us!

How Does Famileo Work?

Famileo offers to send a printed newsletter to your chosen recipient once a month, twice a month, or every week, featuring 30 messages and photographs. This service can be used in various situations, but it is primarily designed to share updates with parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents.

Every family member who wishes to participate can download the app or log in directly on the website, and then enter their family code that is given to the person who signs up the family during registration. After that, it's easy to fill out their newsletter by uploading photos and adding messages of their choice.

Every family member can get involved: there is a maximum of 60 people allowed to contribute to each newsletter. So, feel free to create a personal account to make the outcome diverse and engaging.

👉 For example, you can send a photo from a family gathering, a location you visited on vacation, or a moment that reminds you of your grandfather or grandmother.

Excerpt from a Famileo newsletter

The layout is done automatically afterwards, and the newsletter is sent directly to its recipient by mail, no matter which country they live in.

💌 With the first newsletter, the recipient receives a letter explaining what it’s all about. This is perfect for giving your loved ones a genuine surprise!

📅 Each family member involved in writing the newsletter will receive an email three days before it is published, allowing them to finish contributing to it.

💲 Famileo offers a pooling system: everyone can easily contribute to the subscription without needing to make transfers or exchange money.

📱 Finally, each participating member can view the completed newsletter to stay updated on family news!

✅ Famileo is a wonderful invention that allows your entire family to stay connected, and seniors to receive news from those who matter to them. Be careful, it can be a bit addictive: grandparents love receiving the newsletter and always want more!

Who is the Famileo Gazette For?

A Famileo subscription is a true family gift. Of course, the newsletter is primarily intended for the senior to whom it is sent. If they live alone, they will be delighted to be updated on the latest adventures of their family members, making them feel very connected. In a couple, your grandparents or great-grandparents can share their thoughts about the newsletter.

Finally, if your loved one lives in a long-term care facility or a retirement home, you can absolutely subscribe them to this newsletter to brighten their day and show that you are thinking of them.

How much does Famileo cost?

Famileo offers three different subscription plans:

These subscriptions are contract-free: you can pause or cancel your plan whenever you like.

👉 If you have a tight budget, the monthly plan at $5.99 is a great option. It allows you to give a nice gift without breaking the bank!

👉 If you have a large family, the $17.99 per month offer allows you to send out a newsletter every week. This is perfect if many people are involved in the newsletter, as it gives everyone the chance to post messages regularly.

In any case, you can very easily upgrade your subscription and adjust it according to your needs and preferences. Simply go to the "My Account" section, then "Subscription Management," and click on "Change Plan." The changes will take effect from your renewal date.

What Does a Famileo Gazette Look Like?

The Famileo newsletter is presented as a small A4-sized newspaper (similar to a sheet of printer paper). It starts with a front page that includes the date, upcoming holidays and birthdays, as well as the family members who contributed to this edition of the newsletter.

On the following pages, the messages appear one after another, each time featuring:

• A large format photograph printed in colour,
• A message written by a loved one, easy to read (in large font),
• The name of the author of the message, clearly displayed, along with a small photo.

The first page and a random page from a Famileo newspaper

How to Gift a Famileo Subscription or a Single Box? 🎁

To gift a Famileo subscription, you have two options:

🔸Subscribe the person for whom the newsletters are intended directly from the website, by selecting your preferred subscription mode (monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly). In this case, each person added to the family group will then be able to contribute to the payment pool if they wish to do so.

🔸 Give a gift box for a duration of six months for $39:

This gift box is very convenient if you want to make your present more tangible: in addition to six months of monthly subscription to the newsletter, the recipient will also receive a box to store their newsletters. You can order it directly from the homepage of the website.

📚 After a year, you can also have all the newsletters printed in a beautiful hardcover book. There's nothing like it to preserve your cherished memories and share them with your loved ones!

➡️ Who should you give Famileo to?

👵 The Famileo box makes a great gift for seniors who aren't very connected on social media and messaging apps. It's an ideal present for your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. Of course, it’s also perfect for your in-laws or uncles and aunts.

👩‍🦽 The Famileo journal can also be sent to a person with a disability residing in a care facility, or to a person hospitalized for an extended period.

🌍If your family is spread out across the globe, the Famileo newsletter is a fantastic way to stay connected and share your daily adventures. In fact, Famileo ships worldwide!

What do subscribers think? Check out customer reviews on Famileo!

Whether you're looking to give a gift or treat yourself, customer reviews are a valuable indicator of whether the product meets your expectations. To help you get a sense of what people are saying about Famileo, I have summarized customer feedback from various online platforms for you.

About the Famileo Site

On the homepage of the website, you can find video reviews that provide an overview of customer satisfaction:

🔸 The recipients of the newsletters express their eagerness to receive the magazine each month and the joy of feeling connected with the rest of their family.

🔸 Family members praise the ease of use of Famileo, the joy of seeing their loved ones happy, and the delight of receiving news from the entire family every month in the newsletter.

On Famileo's Facebook Page

The platform where Famileo clients leave the most reviews is Facebook.

The excellent rating of Famileo and the high number of reviews suggest that most customers are satisfied with this newsletter.

💚 Customers Loved It

• Bringing joy to their elders by keeping in touch regularly,
• The practical side of Famileo,
• The ease of use of the app and website, even for individuals who are not tech-savvy,
• The connection with the customer service, which is very efficient,
• The subscription price,
• The fact that it is a French company.

Example of a positive review from the Famileo Facebook page

❌ They enjoyed it less

• The fact that the newsletter doesn't allow writing in Asian characters or Arabic,
• The print quality of the photographs (only an issue for a small number of people, and it seems they've recently changed their printing service),
• Some delivery delays due to Canada Post.

An example of a mixed review from the Famileo Facebook page and the response from another user

About Trustpilot

There are very few reviews for Famileo on the verified review site Trustpilot so far. The reviews received are average, particularly due to a negative review from someone who had delivery issues (mostly related to the carrier), which lowers the overall rating. There are also some very positive reviews, which help balance out this negative experience.

Famileo on Social Media

You can find the company Famileo at:

• Instagram, featuring examples of our newsletters in photos, contests, and shared experiences...

Excerpt from Famileo's Instagram account

• Facebook, with over 50,000 followers, featuring contests, updates on your newsletter's latest news, and more.
• Twitter, for quick updates and to send your questions directly to Famileo,
• And finally, YouTube, offering quick and comprehensive tutorials (on YouTube Shorts) and videos about the Famileo concept and its benefits for seniors.

Can we trust the company Famileo, or is it a scam?

Famileo has been around since August 2015. The service was launched by the French start-up Entourage Solutions. According to the official website "Société.com," this company has been operating since 2014, which provides it with a degree of stability. It employs approximately thirty staff members and has more than 700,000 active users.

Excerpt from the Société.com website regarding Entourage Solutions, the company behind the Famileo service

The company takes the time to respond to customer reviews and questions on Facebook and via messaging, and has a customer service line that can be reached by phone, with a standard-rate number. Additionally, the quality of this support is praised by users in their Facebook reviews.

Finally, the company has won two prestigious awards in the field of entrepreneurship:

• "France is Committed" in 2017,
• "Pass French Tech" in 2019.

✅ Famileo is owned by a French company that is easily reachable and has a reputable customer service, which ensures reliability.

My Verdict on Famileo

I chose to use Famileo to stay in touch with my grandmother, who lives over three hours away from me. Initially, it was more of a personal project because I was worried that other family members, especially my mom, wouldn’t be able to contribute to the newsletter.

However, as soon as we received the first newsletter, the rest of my family wanted to know how they could get involved in creating this publication. So, I shared the family code with my sister first, then with my mother, and also with my aunt and uncle. Each of them chose the option that worked best for them. The mobile app is very convenient for those who have a smartphone: it’s user-friendly and allows you to easily add photos and text, even if you have no prior computer knowledge.

As for payment, we've recently started using a pooling system that allows us to split the costs. It's really convenient and works great!

My grandmother is always delighted to receive her newspaper. She enjoys flipping through it and revisiting it from time to time. When we come to visit her, she shows it to us, and it makes for a wonderful conversation starter! So far, we haven't experienced any delivery issues.

Source: Instagram (@labulledesevy, @odrai_et_louis, @louiseetleskids)

Some photos are truly beautiful, and the journal format isn't always ideal for showcasing them. I'm thinking of having them reprinted on photo paper. I also noticed that Famileo offers to reprint the newsletters into a bound book after a year, so I might consider that as well.

Finally, this subscription had an unexpected effect: in addition to staying connected with my grandma, we are all now enjoying the newsletter that we can download with each issue. This allows us to stay updated on what’s happening in the family and in everyone's daily lives: it’s very unifying!

✅I highly recommend the Famileo experience, especially for families that are geographically dispersed. It’s an adventure to be experienced together, easy to use, and it brings all family members closer together! 😉

Famileo FAQ: Answering YOUR Questions!

👉 In the following lines, I will answer the questions you may have about Famileo. If you don't find the answers you’re looking for, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page to contribute your thoughts. I would be more than happy to assist you!

How to Log in to Famileo?

If you already have a Famileo account, simply visit the website and log in by clicking on "My Account" in the top right corner. You can also download the app available for Android and iPhone.

If you want to join your family who is already subscribed to Famileo, you will need a family code that was provided to the person who subscribed. Then, simply scroll to the bottom of the homepage, click on "I want to join my family" and follow the instructions. You can also do this from the app!

Finally, if your senior lives in a partner facility of Famileo, they should provide you with a code that you can also enter on the website, on the homepage, in the section titled: "Does your loved one reside in a subscribed facility?".

Who prints Famileo?

When you subscribe, the Famileo company handles the printing and mailing of the newsletter directly. Once it’s filled with your photos and messages, you don’t have to do anything. 😉

How can I get a Famileo promo code?

When you sign up, you can enter the promo code "COUPDEPOUCE", which gives you 70% off the first month. This offer is valid on monthly and bi-monthly subscriptions. It's a great deal if you want to try Famileo for a month without any commitment, as it will only cost you about $1.80 CAD.

Does Famileo offer a referral program?

Yes! Famileo has established a referral program. Simply ask the person who is referring you for their referral code, which they should have received by email and is available in their "My Account" section. By entering it during your registration, you will receive one month free. Additionally, the grandparents of the referrers can also win prizes!

Source: Instagram (@welovecharliandcapucine, @magicaroh, @cynthiakanaie)

What happens to the personal data (photos, messages, etc.) that we send to Famileo?

Famileo is committed to not selling your data: photos, messages, personal information, and more. The site is ad-free and promises to remain so. Your data is securely stored on dedicated servers specifically for Famileo's services and is encrypted.

If you would like to delete your data after cancelling, you can contact Famileo and ask them to remove it. This will be done quickly and at no cost.

How to Contact Famileo?

There are several options available to you:

• Through social media, on Facebook or Instagram,
• Directly on the website via the form,
• By email at: contact@famileo.com,
• By phone at 📞 02 46 84 02 82 (local call rates apply).

Is there a commitment with Famileo?

No, Famileo is commitment-free. This means you can cancel at any time.

How to Cancel Famileo?

Only the family member who is the administrator (by default, the one who created the subscription) can cancel it. That person just needs to log into their account, go to the "subscription management" section, and unsubscribe.

👉 If you have any money left in your account, feel free to contact Famileo's customer service directly to find out how to retrieve those funds.

You’re a Senior Care Professional: How to Become a Famileo Partner Facility?

Famileo enables facilities that care for elderly individuals (long-term care homes, nursing homes, retirement homes, etc.) or persons with disabilities to provide their residents with a way to stay connected with their families through the Famileo newsletter. If you are interested in this type of service, please feel free to contact Famileo directly, either by phone at 📞02 46 84 02 82 or by email at contact@famileo.com.

👉 At the bottom of the homepage, you will find a link to a section titled "Famileo for Professionals", which provides detailed information about the offerings for institutions.

For professional establishments: What logbook service does Famileo offer?

If you work in a facility that accommodates seniors or individuals with disabilities, you can also turn to Famileo to quickly and easily create a newsletter to share what’s happening in your organization. It's a fantastic way to foster connections between your residents and their loved ones, as well as to highlight your community engagement initiatives.

I hope you found the answers to all the questions you had about the Famileo service. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, or to share your experience! 😉