My Opinion on FAMILEO: The Family Newsletter to Stay Connected!

There's nothing simpler today than staying in touch with loved ones thanks to instant messaging services or video calls! Despite this apparent ease, it's often the case that part of the family ends up isolated: indeed, it's rare to find elderly people who use WhatsApp or social media.

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

What is Familéo?

👍 I loved it

• The concept of Famileo, which has captivated my entire family,
• Seeing my grandmother delighted and being able to discuss her newsletter with her,
• The user-friendliness 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 based on one’s budget.

❌ What I Liked Less

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

How does Famileo work?

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

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

Every family member can get involved: there is a maximum of 60 individuals allowed to contribute to each newsletter. So, don't hesitate to create a personal account to ensure the content remains varied and enjoyable.

👉 For instance, you could send a photograph of a family gathering, a holiday destination, or a moment that reminded 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 post, regardless of which country in the world they live in.

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

📅 On your side, each family member involved in writing the newsletter will receive an email three days before it is published, allowing them to finalise their contributions.

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

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

✅ Famileo is a fantastic invention that allows your entire family to stay connected, and enables older relatives to receive news from those who mean the most to them. Be warned, it can be a bit addictive: grandparents love receiving the newsletter and often ask for more!

Who is the Famileo Newsletter for?

A Famileo subscription is a truly wonderful 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 be informed about the latest adventures of their family members, making them feel very connected. For couples, your grandparents or great-grandparents can discuss their newspaper together.

Finally, if your loved one lives in a care home or a nursing home, it is perfectly possible to subscribe them to this newsletter to brighten their day and show them that you are thinking of them.

How much does Famileo cost?

Famileo offers three different subscription plans:

These subscriptions are commitment-free: you can pause or cancel your plan whenever you wish.

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

👉 If you are a large family, the £17.99 per month offer allows you to send out a newsletter every week. This is ideal if many people are involved with the newsletter, as it gives everyone the opportunity to post messages regularly.

In any case, you can very easily upgrade your subscription and adjust it according to your needs and circumstances. All you need to do is 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 Gazette look like?

The Famileo newsletter is presented as a small A4-sized newspaper (similar to a sheet of printer paper). It begins with a front 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 appear in succession, each time featuring:

• A large format photograph printed in colour,
• A message written by a loved one, easily readable (in large print),
• 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 person directly who will receive the newsletters from the website, selecting your preferred subscription type (monthly, bimonthly, or weekly). In this case, each individual added to the family group can, if they wish, contribute to the payment pot.

🔸 Give a gift box valid for six months for £39:

This gift set is very practical if you want to present your gift in style: in addition to six months of monthly subscriptions 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 lovely bound book. There's nothing quite like preserving those cherished memories and sharing them with your loved ones!

➡️ Who should you gift Famileo to?

👵 The Famileo box makes a wonderful gift for seniors who aren't very connected to social media and messaging apps. It's the perfect present for your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. It’s also a lovely choice for your in-laws or any uncles and aunts.

👩‍🦽 The Famileo journal can also be sent to a disabled person living in a care home, or a patient in hospital 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? Discover customer reviews about Famileo!

Whether you're looking to buy a gift or treat yourself, customer reviews are an invaluable indicator of whether a product meets our expectations. To help you get an overview of what people are saying about Famileo, I have summarised customer feedback from various online platforms for you.

On the Famileo Website

On the homepage of the site, there are video reviews that provide an insight into customer satisfaction:

🔸 The recipients of the newsletters express their impatience to receive the magazine each month, as well as the joy of feeling connected to the rest of their family.

🔸 Families who write for Famileo praise the ease of use, the joy of seeing their loved ones happy, and the pleasure of discovering news from the entire family every month in the newsletter.

On the Famileo Brand's Facebook Page

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

The very high score for Famileo and the large number of reviews suggest that most customers are satisfied with this newsletter.

💚 Customers Loved

• Making their elders happy by keeping in touch regularly,
• The practical side of Famileo,
• The ease of use of the app and website, even for those who are not comfortable with technology,
• The contact with the customer service, which is very efficient,
• The price of the subscription,
• The fact that it is a French company.

Example of a positive review from the Famileo Facebook page

❌ They liked it less

• The fact that the newsletter does not allow writing in Asian characters or Arabic,
• The quality of printed photographs (which only affects a minority of users, and it seems they have recently changed their printing service),
• Some delivery delays due to Royal Mail.

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

About Trustpilot

There are very few reviews for Famileo at the moment on the verified review site Trustpilot. The reviews received are average, particularly due to a negative review from someone who experienced delivery issues (mostly because of the courier), which lowers the overall rating. There are also some very positive reviews that counterbalance this negative experience.

Famileo on Social Media

You can find the company Famileo at:

• Instagram, featuring examples of the newsletters in photographs, competitions, and feedback from users...

Excerpt from Famileo's Instagram account

• Facebook, with over 50,000 followers, featuring competitions, updates on the latest news from your newsletter, and more.
• Twitter, to get straight to the point and send your questions directly to Famileo,
• And lastly, YouTube, offering quick and comprehensive tutorials (on YouTube Shorts) and videos about the Famileo concept and its benefits for the elderly.

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. On the official site "Société.com", it is noted that this company has been in existence since 2014, which provides it with a certain level of stability. It employs around thirty staff and has over 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 reviews and questions from its customers on Facebook and via messages, and has a customer service department that can be reached by phone, on a standard-rate number. Furthermore, the quality of this support is praised by users in the 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 part of a French company, easily reachable, with a dedicated 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, as I was worried that other family members, particularly my mother, would be unable to contribute content to the newsletter.

However, from the very first newsletter received, the rest of my family wanted to know how to get involved in the creation of this journal. I first passed the family code to my sister, and then to my mother, as well as my aunt and uncle. Each of them chose the option that suited them best. The mobile app is very convenient for those with a smartphone: it is very intuitive, allowing you to easily add photos and text without any prior knowledge of computers.

When it comes to payment, we have recently started using a pooled payment system that allows you to share the costs. It's very convenient and works well!

My grandmother is always delighted to receive her newspaper. She enjoys flicking 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 have had no delivery issues.

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

Some photos are truly beautiful and the journal format is not always ideal for showcasing them. I'm therefore considering reprinting them on photo paper. I’ve also seen that Famileo offers to print the gazettes in a bound book after a year, so I might do that as well.

Finally, this subscription had an unexpected effect: in addition to keeping in touch with my grandma, we can now all enjoy the newsletter which we can download with each edition. This allows us to stay informed about what’s happening in the family and everyone’s day-to-day lives: it really brings us together!

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

FAQ about Famileo: I answer 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, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page to contribute your thoughts. I will be more than happy to assist you!

How to connect 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 wish to join your family who are already subscribed to Famileo, you will need a family code, which has been provided to the person who subscribed. Next, 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 loved one resides in a partner establishment 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 relative live in a subscribed establishment?".

Who prints Famileo?

When you subscribe, it is the company Famileo that takes care of printing and sending the newsletter directly. Once it is filled with your photos and messages, you don’t have to do anything. 😉

How can I get a Famileo promotional code?

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

Does Famileo offer a referral programme?

Yes! Famileo has introduced a referral programme. All you need to do is ask your referrer for their referral code, which they should have received via email and can find in their "My Account" section. By entering this code when you sign up, you'll receive one month free. Additionally, the grandparents of the referrers can 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... The site is ad-free and vows to remain so. Your data is securely stored, on servers dedicated to Famileo's services and is encrypted.

If you would like to delete your data after cancelling, you can contact Famileo and request that they remove it. This will be done quickly and free of charge.

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 charges apply).

Is there a commitment with Famileo?

No, Famileo is without obligation. This means that 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. This person simply needs to log into their account, go to the "subscription management" section, and unsubscribe.

👉 If you have any funds remaining in your account, feel free to get in touch with Famileo's customer service to find out how to retrieve that money.

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

Famileo allows establishments catering to elderly individuals (care homes, long-stay services, retirement homes...) or individuals with disabilities to provide their residents with a way to stay in touch with their families through the sending of the Famileo newsletter. If this type of service interests you, 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 of the site, you will find a link to a section titled "Famileo for Professionals", which will provide you with detailed information about the offerings for establishments.

For Professional Establishments: What Logbook Service Does Famileo Offer?

If you work in a facility that accommodates elderly or disabled residents, you can also turn to Famileo to quickly and easily create a newsletter to share updates about your establishment. It's a fantastic way to foster connections between your residents and their loved ones, as well as to showcase your activities and initiatives.

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