My Take on FAMILEO: The Family Journal to Stay Connected!

There's nothing easier these days than keeping in touch with loved ones, thanks to instant messaging services and video calls! Despite this apparent ease, it often happens that a part of the family ends up feeling isolated: indeed, few elderly people use WhatsApp or social media.

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

What is Familéo?

👍 I Loved It

• The Famileo concept, which has captured the hearts of my entire family,
• Seeing my grandmother delighted and being able to chat with her about her newsletter,
• The user-friendliness of the Famileo app,
• The affordable pricing and the option to share the cost,
• The final output of the newsletter,
• The ability to adjust the subscription based on my budget.

❌ What I Liked Less

• The quality of the paper is somewhat average,
• 30 messages can be a bit limiting if there are a lot of us!

How does Famileo work?

Famileo offers to send a printed newsletter to the person of your choice every month, twice a month, or weekly, containing 30 messages and photos. This service can be used in various situations, but it is primarily designed for sending news to your parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents.

Every family member who wants to take part can download the app or simply log onto the website, then enter their family code which is given to the person who registered the family during the subscription process. After that, it's easy to create your newsletter by uploading photos and adding messages of your choice.

Everyone in the family can get involved: in fact, there’s a maximum of 60 people who can contribute to each newsletter. So, don’t hesitate to create a personal account to keep the content diverse and friendly.

👉 For instance, you could send a photograph from a family gathering, a place you visited on holiday, or a moment that reminds you of your grandfather or grandmother.

Excerpt from a Famileo newsletter

The layout takes care of itself afterwards, and the newsletter is sent directly to its recipient, by post, no matter which country in the world they live in.

💌 With the first Newsletter, the recipient receives a letter explaining what it's all about. This makes it a brilliant way to surprise your elders!

📅 On your side, every family member who contributes to writing the newsletter will receive an email three days before it is published, allowing them to complete their contributions.

💲 Famileo offers a shared fund system: everyone can easily contribute to the subscription without the need for bank transfers or money exchanges.

📱 Finally, each participating member can view the finished newsletter to keep up with all the family news!

✅ Famileo is a fantastic invention that keeps your entire family connected, allowing older relatives to receive news from those who matter to them. Be warned, it can be a bit addictive: grandparents absolutely love getting the newsletter and always want more!

Who is the Famileo newsletter for?

A Famileo subscription is a genuine family gift. Of course, the newsletter is primarily aimed at the elderly person to whom it is sent. If they live alone, they will be delighted to hear about the latest adventures of their family members and will feel truly connected. If they are a couple, your grandparents or great-grandparents can discuss their newsletter together.

Finally, if your loved one lives in a nursing home or a care facility, you can certainly subscribe them to this newsletter to brighten their day and show that you're thinking of them.

How much does Famileo cost?

Famileo offers three different pricing plans:

These subscriptions are commitment-free, so you can suspend or cancel your plan whenever you wish.

👉 If you're on a tight budget, the monthly plan at €5.99 is quite appealing. It allows you to give a lovely gift without breaking the bank!

👉 If you’re part of 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 contributing to the newsletter, as it gives everyone the chance to post messages regularly.

In any case, you can very easily change your subscription to suit your needs and budget. Just go to the "My Account" section, then "Subscription Management", and click on "Change Plan". The change will take effect from your renewal date.

What does a Famileo newsletter look like?

The Famileo newsletter is described as a small magazine in A4 format (similar to a sheet of printer paper). It begins with a first page that includes the date, upcoming celebrations and birthdays, as well as the family members who contributed to this edition of the newsletter.

On the following pages, the messages follow one after another, each time with:

• A large format photograph printed in colour,
• A message written by a loved one, easy to read (in large text),
• The name of the author of the message, clearly stated, 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 available to you:

🔸 Subscribe the intended recipient of the newsletters directly from the website, by selecting your preferred subscription option (monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly). In this case, each person added to the family group can then choose to contribute to the payment pool if they wish.

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

This gift box is very handy if you want to give something tangible: in addition to six months of a monthly subscription to the magazine, the recipient will also receive a box to store their magazines. You can order it directly from the homepage of the website.

📚 After a year, you can also have all your newsletters printed in a lovely bound book. There's nothing quite like it for preserving your cherished memories and sharing them with your loved ones!

➡️ Who should you give Famileo to?

👵 The Famileo box makes for a thoughtful gift for older adults who aren’t very active on social media and messaging apps. It’s the perfect present for your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. Of course, it’s also suitable 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 patient who is in hospital for an extended period.

🌍 If your family is scattered around the world, the Famileo newsletter is a fantastic way to stay connected and share your daily adventures. Indeed, Famileo ships worldwide!

What do the subscribers think? Discover customer reviews on Famileo!

Whether you're looking to buy a gift or treat yourself, feedback from other customers is a valuable indicator of whether the product meets your expectations. To help you understand what people are saying about Famileo, I've summarised customer reviews from various online platforms for you.

On the Famileo Website

On the homepage of the site, you'll find video reviews that provide insight into customer satisfaction:

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

🔸 Families using Famileo rave about its ease of use, the joy of seeing their loved ones happy, and the delight of receiving updates from the whole family every month in the newsletter.

On Famileo's Facebook Page

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

The excellent score of Famileo and the large number of reviews suggest that most customers are happy with this newsletter.

💚 What our customers loved

• Keeping their elders happy by providing them with regular updates,
• The practical advantages of Famileo,
• The ease of use of the app and website, even for those who are not tech-savvy,
• The interaction with the very efficient customer service,
• The cost of the subscription,
• 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 does not allow for writing in Asian characters or Arabic,
• The quality of print for photographs (only affecting a small number of people, and it seems they have recently changed their printing service),
• Some delivery delays due to the postal service.

Example of a mixed review taken from the Famileo Facebook page and the response given by another user

About Trustpilot

Currently, there are very few reviews for Famileo on the verified review site Trustpilot. The reviews received are average, particularly due to a negative review from someone who experienced delivery issues (mainly due to the courier), which lowers the overall rating. However, there are also some very positive reviews that balance out this negative experience.

Famileo on Social Media

You can find the company Famileo at:

• Instagram, featuring examples of the newsletters in photos, competitions, and user experiences...

Excerpt from the Instagram account of Famileo

• Facebook boasts over 50,000 followers, where you can find competitions, updates on the latest news from your newsletter, and more.
• Twitter is the place to go for quick updates and to send your queries directly to Famileo.
• And finally, check out YouTube, offering quick and comprehensive tutorials (on YouTube Shorts) and videos explaining the Famileo concept and its benefits for older adults.

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 site "Société.com", this company has been in existence since 2014, which gives it a degree of stability. It employs around thirty staff and has over 700,000 active users.

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

The company takes the time to respond to customer reviews and questions on Facebook and via messages, and has a customer service team that can be reached by phone, using a standard rate number. Furthermore, 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 Takes Action" in 2017,
• "Pass French Tech" in 2019.

✅ Famileo is part of a French company that is easily reachable, offering reliable customer service, which is a mark of trustworthiness.

My Verdict on Famileo

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

However, from the moment the first newsletter arrived, the rest of my family wanted to know how they could get involved in creating this journal. I passed the family code on to my sister first, then to my mother, and to my aunt and uncle. Each of them chose the solution that suited them best. The mobile app is very handy for those with a smartphone: it’s very user-friendly and allows you to easily add photos and text without any prior computer knowledge.

When it comes to payment, we've recently started using a pooling system that allows us to share the costs. It's really handy and works a treat!

My grandmother is always delighted to receive her newspaper. She enjoys flipping through it and looking at it from time to time. When we visit her, she shows it to us, and it's a fantastic conversation starter! So far, we've had no delivery issues.

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

Some photos are really lovely, and the journal format isn't always the best way to showcase them. I'm considering reprinting them on photo paper. I’ve also noticed that Famileo offers to reprint the newsletters in a bound book after a year, so I might go that route.

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

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

Famileo FAQ: Answering YOUR Questions!

👉 In the following lines, I will answer the questions you have about Famileo. If you can’t find the answers to your queries, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page to contribute. I will be delighted to help you out!

How to Connect to Famileo?

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

If you want to join your family who is already subscribed to Famileo, you will need a family code, which has been given to the person who subscribed. After that, just scroll down to the very bottom of the homepage, click on "I want to join my family," and follow the instructions. You can also do this through the app!

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

Who prints Famileo?

When you're subscribed, it's Famileo that takes care of printing and sending the newsletter directly. Once it's filled with your photos and messages, there's nothing for you to do. 😉

How can I get a Famileo promo code?

When you sign up, you can enter the promo code "COUPDEPOUCE", which gives you 70% off your first month. This is applicable to both 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 around €1.80.

Does Famileo offer a referral system?

Yes! Famileo has introduced a referral offer. Just ask the person who is referring you for their referral code, which they should have received by email and is also available in their "My Account" section. By entering this code when you sign up, you will receive a month free. Additionally, the grandparents of the referrers can win some prizes!

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

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

Famileo is committed to not selling your data: photos, messages, personal information... The site is ad-free and pledges to stay that way. Your data is stored securely on dedicated servers for the Famileo service and is encrypted.

If you would like to delete your data after cancelling, you can get in touch with Famileo and request them to remove it. This will be done quickly and at no cost to you.

How to get in touch with Famileo?

You have several options available to you:

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

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 manager (by default, the one who created the subscription) can cancel it. This 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 you can retrieve those funds.

Are you a professional in a care home for the elderly? How to become a Famileo partner establishment?

Famileo allows establishments caring for elderly individuals (nursing homes, long-stay services, retirement homes...) or people with disabilities to provide their residents with a way to stay connected with their family through the delivery of the Famileo newsletter. If this type of service interests you, please feel free to reach out to 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'll find a link to a section titled "Famileo for Professionals", which will provide you with a detailed overview of the offerings for establishments.

For Professional Establishments: What Logbook Service Does Famileo Offer?

If you work in a facility that caters to elderly or disabled residents, you can also use Famileo to quickly and easily create a newsletter to share what's happening in your establishment. It's a fantastic way to build connections between your residents and their loved ones, while also showcasing your engaging activities.

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