Your opinion on Lingoo.fr
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seve159
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luccio -
luccio -
Hello. I would like to know if the website Lingoo.fr is reliable.
Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance.
17 réponses
Hello - Our daughter is coming back from a stay in England for which we went through Lingoo and we are terribly disappointed. First of all, we would have preferred an exchange but that was not possible... very few proposals coming from England. So we opted for the host family that had committed to supervising our daughter's outings since they live 60 km from London in a very small town with little interest. The family did not take care of her at all and fortunately, she lied to us saying that our daughter would not share her room with another French girl; otherwise, she would have spent a week watching TV and watching them eat ice cream and cake that they never offered to share with their two boarders. They actually had a very different diet from them (they ate twice as much as the girls and often something else) and they told us they were very hungry. They had to manage on their own (our daughter is 13 and her unfortunate companion is 16) and go to London on their own two times only because the friend was broke (she was there for 2 weeks and kept complaining). The rest of the time, they spent wandering in a park, watching TV, shopping in a neighboring town (the first time, the youngest girl from the host family accompanied them but she stole a headband in front of them... apparently, she was accustomed to it), in short, being bored and sometimes crying as the days felt long... No proposal from the family that even went as far as watching TV (which was on loop all day) on the weekend in a caravan parked in their own garden... What upset us is that the family claimed to have 15 years of experience in welcoming young people while the Lingoo site is only 2 years old. But when we realized this, we had already bought the plane tickets. When we asked Lingoo about the seriousness of the family, it turned out that Lingoo has no information about them and that they merely connect people without taking any guarantees to ensure the safety of the young people. It's quite scary! Moreover, the families charge exorbitant fees to pick up and drop off the young ones at the airport... sometimes it's as expensive as the amount for a week of full board. If we add to this that no activities are proposed to the young people, we bitterly regretted not sending our daughter with DLS Playschool, which offers a program for young people (in host families of 2) and for 800 or 1000 euros for 10 days depending on the transport chosen (train or plane), full board accommodation, daily activities and visits organized by the organization that picks the young one up in the morning and brings them back in the evening, an inter-youth meeting every two days, etc... Also, knowing that it cost us 700 euros for our daughter to bombard us with texts expressing her eagerness to return as she was so bored... it's worth adding just a little bit more. I think that with Lingoo you can either have a good experience or a bad one, but in any case, the site itself is a scam since it offers no guarantee of anything and does not take any information about the families concerned. They could just as well send the young ones to pedophiles or serial killers without a second thought. That’s our experience, and my sentiment too. VERY NEGATIVE!
Hello,
I am 16 years old and I found an English pen pal for this summer through Lingoo. Obviously, an exchange and hosting are different, and my pen pal and I had talked well before finalizing our agreement. I excluded the option of going to a host family because 1) it’s more expensive, and 2) I was afraid I would get bored there. I think Lingoo is interesting and can be useful, but you have to get lucky and choose well.
Personally, my trip to my pen pal's place in England went very well, as did her stay at my home. I was lucky! I prefer exchanges to hosting because at least there are shared interests among young people, whereas with a host family, it must be more complicated. Well, that’s what I think!
I am 16 years old and I found an English pen pal for this summer through Lingoo. Obviously, an exchange and hosting are different, and my pen pal and I had talked well before finalizing our agreement. I excluded the option of going to a host family because 1) it’s more expensive, and 2) I was afraid I would get bored there. I think Lingoo is interesting and can be useful, but you have to get lucky and choose well.
Personally, my trip to my pen pal's place in England went very well, as did her stay at my home. I was lucky! I prefer exchanges to hosting because at least there are shared interests among young people, whereas with a host family, it must be more complicated. Well, that’s what I think!
We were a host family this summer through Lingoo. We hosted a German girl for a month. It went very well and we even became friends; she invited us to her home and she will be coming back to stay with us next summer (as a friend this time). Our children will be going abroad for a year in a few months but through an organization (AFS) because for such a long duration we require strict supervision from volunteer host families.
I recommend Lingoo for connecting families with each other.
I recommend Lingoo for connecting families with each other.
Hello everyone,
I am surprised that ultra-positive testimonials suddenly appear on this site after the catastrophic testimonials mentioned at the beginning, which cannot be "invented." All of this has a rather "manufactured" feel following the intervention of the director of Lingoo. The previous testimonial could almost come from the management of Lingoo since it almost verbatim repeats the arguments put forth by the director in her defense against the accusations of the first two witnesses: "As for the site, I find it quite clear, and if you follow the guidelines closely, everything is perfect!" One can't help but smile...
No, the opinion of the fourth witness is correct: It does seem that Lingoo's main concern is to have an impeccable legal framework to avoid liability in all cases; the moral and physical well-being of the individuals (who sometimes are children in this case) seems somewhat secondary, even if half-hearted regrets are mentioned "in passing." Those who had "contravened" Lingoo's contracts still paid the registration fees, right? Money, money, always money...
I am surprised that ultra-positive testimonials suddenly appear on this site after the catastrophic testimonials mentioned at the beginning, which cannot be "invented." All of this has a rather "manufactured" feel following the intervention of the director of Lingoo. The previous testimonial could almost come from the management of Lingoo since it almost verbatim repeats the arguments put forth by the director in her defense against the accusations of the first two witnesses: "As for the site, I find it quite clear, and if you follow the guidelines closely, everything is perfect!" One can't help but smile...
No, the opinion of the fourth witness is correct: It does seem that Lingoo's main concern is to have an impeccable legal framework to avoid liability in all cases; the moral and physical well-being of the individuals (who sometimes are children in this case) seems somewhat secondary, even if half-hearted regrets are mentioned "in passing." Those who had "contravened" Lingoo's contracts still paid the registration fees, right? Money, money, always money...
Hello
My son is returning from a 3-week stay in August 2015 through Lingoo.
I have nothing to say about the site itself except that...
our review of the family that hosted our teenager was negative (overcrowding of French speakers, additional paid services, etc.), and although it was reasoned and detailed, it was rejected by the site.
Therefore, you cannot rely on the ratings that appear for the families.
My son is returning from a 3-week stay in August 2015 through Lingoo.
I have nothing to say about the site itself except that...
our review of the family that hosted our teenager was negative (overcrowding of French speakers, additional paid services, etc.), and although it was reasoned and detailed, it was rejected by the site.
Therefore, you cannot rely on the ratings that appear for the families.
I indeed feared that, but I operated under the principle that if the percentage of stays with comments was high and those comments were generally positive, the family was worth considering... but nothing replaces an oral or video exchange. However, Lingoo prevents this type of exchange before the contractual commitment.
What you need to understand about this website is that it is solely a matchmaking site. Young people pay €57 to access the listings, and host families give 12% of their earnings to the site for the right to be listed. However, the site does not perform any checks on the reliability of the families (I know this because I registered: I can guarantee you that no one came to verify if I was who I claimed to be, if I actually had a free room, etc...).
In summary, of course you can meet some really great families through this site, but you have no more or less guarantee than you would by using any free listing site.
In summary, of course you can meet some really great families through this site, but you have no more or less guarantee than you would by using any free listing site.
Impossible to delete your account on the LINGOO SITE???
Does anyone have the solution? I've searched for several hours without finding anything..
Thank you
Does anyone have the solution? I've searched for several hours without finding anything..
Thank you
Hello,
For Lingoo, our experience and opinion are rather negative.
The site connects mainly English families with people interested in a language stay.
In our case, we were looking for an EXCHANGE between France and the United Kingdom or Ireland. Clearly, it doesn't work.
Lingoo's specialty is mainly to allow English families to sell language stays costing between €1000 and €3000 per month. A market... occupied, as well, by mercantile families... so be careful!
Good luck!
Luc
For Lingoo, our experience and opinion are rather negative.
The site connects mainly English families with people interested in a language stay.
In our case, we were looking for an EXCHANGE between France and the United Kingdom or Ireland. Clearly, it doesn't work.
Lingoo's specialty is mainly to allow English families to sell language stays costing between €1000 and €3000 per month. A market... occupied, as well, by mercantile families... so be careful!
Good luck!
Luc
Hi everyone!!
My name is Maxime, I'm 15 years old and I've used the site for 2 trips, one in Spain for a week and the other in London for two weeks.
As for the trips, the families were more than great, I was very well received, the houses were clean, and the weather was on point! Even in London :)
As for the site, I find it quite clear, and by following the guidelines closely, everything is perfect!
So I want to say a big thank you to the families, and a big thank you to Longoo, who allowed me to progress like never before in two of the languages present in the BAC, which are therefore very important!
My name is Maxime, I'm 15 years old and I've used the site for 2 trips, one in Spain for a week and the other in London for two weeks.
As for the trips, the families were more than great, I was very well received, the houses were clean, and the weather was on point! Even in London :)
As for the site, I find it quite clear, and by following the guidelines closely, everything is perfect!
So I want to say a big thank you to the families, and a big thank you to Longoo, who allowed me to progress like never before in two of the languages present in the BAC, which are therefore very important!
I just saw some pretty awful comments, so I want to react. A friend recommended Lingoo to us; her son had gone twice to England and was thrilled, lots of activities... Anyway, in July 2013, my 15-year-old son, not too enthusiastic, went for 15 days to a family in Bath. Either the choice we made was very good or it was a stroke of luck... Regardless, everything went exceptionally well, the family was lovely, he went out for an activity every day (of course, the family we had corresponded with beforehand warned us that some outings could incur costs, so we needed to provide pocket money accordingly; for example, they took him for a day trip to London and he paid for his train ticket, but this was with our agreement and not imposed) and he came back delighted and much more confident in expressing himself in English. His wish is to go back in the summer of 2014 for... a month because, he says, the previous stay was too short!!! I have no complaints to make, so whether it was luck or not, I still wanted to point out that we could be satisfied!
I confirm: it’s a site that connects families. The registration fees help the site survive too, nothing is free… Would you work for nothing? Not sure…
You can contact the family through the site, like a regular messaging system. When trust is established, you can schedule a meeting on Skype, for example, and converse more.
If you're already hesitating to pay the registration fees, it’s because you haven’t understood that a language stay is expensive. You can try to find cheaper options elsewhere, and I wish you good luck with that.
We sent our son to a wonderful family, and we are ready to do it again, using this site. But we are very vigilant in selecting the family. There is good and bad…
You can contact the family through the site, like a regular messaging system. When trust is established, you can schedule a meeting on Skype, for example, and converse more.
If you're already hesitating to pay the registration fees, it’s because you haven’t understood that a language stay is expensive. You can try to find cheaper options elsewhere, and I wish you good luck with that.
We sent our son to a wonderful family, and we are ready to do it again, using this site. But we are very vigilant in selecting the family. There is good and bad…
Hello
NO, not reliable at all.
Impossible to get anyone on the phone. The responses given by email are always backwards: a return to the terms and conditions every time, and they always redirect you to paid offers.
There is no actual exchange offer possible, everything is fictitious. This site is a money pit.
And on top of that, it's impossible to unsubscribe!
I called the CNIL, they can't do anything because it's abroad.
In short, we are being treated like fools...
NO, not reliable at all.
Impossible to get anyone on the phone. The responses given by email are always backwards: a return to the terms and conditions every time, and they always redirect you to paid offers.
There is no actual exchange offer possible, everything is fictitious. This site is a money pit.
And on top of that, it's impossible to unsubscribe!
I called the CNIL, they can't do anything because it's abroad.
In short, we are being treated like fools...
Anyway, no viruses ;).
--
Google is your friend!
"The knowledge that one does not complete every day diminishes every day."
Fan of Final Fantasy.
--
Google is your friend!
"The knowledge that one does not complete every day diminishes every day."
Fan of Final Fantasy.
Good evening,
I have discovered a host family that seems really pleasant, but I find it quite strange that we can't contact the family at all. No email, no phone number. And on top of that, we have to pay for our profile for 57 euros? I don't know what to think of the site Lingoo as there are a lot of mixed reviews. Other opinions would be welcome to confirm the reliability of this site.
Thank you!
I have discovered a host family that seems really pleasant, but I find it quite strange that we can't contact the family at all. No email, no phone number. And on top of that, we have to pay for our profile for 57 euros? I don't know what to think of the site Lingoo as there are a lot of mixed reviews. Other opinions would be welcome to confirm the reliability of this site.
Thank you!
Lingoo, I haven't tried it, but based on the comments, it doesn't sound very appealing... I went to London with Study Global (https://www.studyglobal.fr/), and it went very well, so I think I'll go with them again next summer!! Their big advantage is that they have personalized programs based on our level of English, so we make quick progress!!
Hello from Italy!
It's really hard to find opinions about Lingoo in Italy, despite the active site there are no comments!
Now that I've read your opinions, I thank you and I think I will change my path...
However, I believe that hospitality exchange is completely different and there is a willingness from both families to offer a warm welcome to the children and to do everything to treat them like their own children. It's a bit "like house exchanging (I've been here for 4 years and I'm very happy)... I will take care and respect your house because I know you will, in turn, take good care of my house. It just happens like that!
In conclusion, does anyone know just one site for language hospitality exchange for our children? Only Lingoo?
I've tried it, but can't find anything concrete.
Thank you for your attention and... sorry for my French...
It's really hard to find opinions about Lingoo in Italy, despite the active site there are no comments!
Now that I've read your opinions, I thank you and I think I will change my path...
However, I believe that hospitality exchange is completely different and there is a willingness from both families to offer a warm welcome to the children and to do everything to treat them like their own children. It's a bit "like house exchanging (I've been here for 4 years and I'm very happy)... I will take care and respect your house because I know you will, in turn, take good care of my house. It just happens like that!
In conclusion, does anyone know just one site for language hospitality exchange for our children? Only Lingoo?
I've tried it, but can't find anything concrete.
Thank you for your attention and... sorry for my French...
Hello Italy,
I think like you, I believe that the exchange limits the risks of ending up with a bad family.
After reading all the negative comments, I no longer know if I should register my daughter on this site. She wants to do an exchange in Italy, there are many offers but now I'm wondering if they are really genuine.
In France, I haven't found any other exchange sites that connect families.
If such a site exists in Italy, I would appreciate the contact details.
Thanks in advance.
I think like you, I believe that the exchange limits the risks of ending up with a bad family.
After reading all the negative comments, I no longer know if I should register my daughter on this site. She wants to do an exchange in Italy, there are many offers but now I'm wondering if they are really genuine.
In France, I haven't found any other exchange sites that connect families.
If such a site exists in Italy, I would appreciate the contact details.
Thanks in advance.
I would like to do an exchange in England for 2 or 3 weeks and for the person to come as well so that it’s not just for financial gain; I have already asked and sent several messages to 3 girls but they do not respond! We cannot know if they received the message or if they have already taken a trip. I have emailed Lingoo but they haven't helped me much either, so I would like to know how long it took (for those who succeeded) for you to make contact with the family! I started sending them messages in January, then I started again in February, March, April, and then I gave up since there were no responses.
Thank you.
Thank you.
My two sons traveled this summer to an English family that we found through the Lingoo website. They came back delighted with the firm intention of going again next year.
You need to understand how it works. It allows you to choose a family through multi-criteria search (age of the child, location, presence of classes, activities...). You can then contact these selected families via email, phone, Skype... and confirm your choice.
The booking allows both parties to commit through a written document summarizing the commitments made.
It is therefore an excellent tool enabling our children to learn foreign languages and open up to the world, provided they understand the process.
Personally, due to a lack of references and sufficient perspective, I am not ready to use this site (already negative comments in such a short time... that's quite revealing)
So I'm passing...
We organized a stay for our child with Lingoo, and we are absolutely delighted. We are considering doing more, with the same family, or another one if needed.
It’s important to know that Lingoo connects families and does not participate in organizing the stays in any way. Families are completely autonomous. It’s up to them to select the host family, to verify the authenticity of the profile (through internet searches, references from other families, through conversations, etc.) and to organize the entire stay.
There are certainly host families whose sole objective is to make money. Sometimes all you need to do is look at the rates they charge to understand that their approach is absurd. You should also avoid incomplete listings, such as those without photos. This shows a lack of seriousness and involvement in the project. Bad start.
Many families are looking to supplement their income by hosting a foreigner, indeed, but the hospitality is more than acceptable and they deserve that money! We ultimately preferred to give that money to the family rather than to some random organization…
Someone wrote that we wouldn’t criticize the Meetic site for having met a bad person... It’s exactly the same principle, indeed.
The Lingoo staff helped us very well to prepare the registration file, and their responses to our questions were always very clear and prompt. And that’s exactly what we expected from them, we understood that very well. We find them serious and efficient, and their concept suits us perfectly.
There will always be fraudsters or ill-intentioned people, that’s the way the world is..., just be vigilant.
And if you’re still not convinced, you’re right, leave Lingoo to the more resourceful ones and turn to an organization that will cost you an arm and a leg...
PS: among the fraudsters may be a competing organization that makes it seem like a disastrous Lingoo stay, who knows... I think that the director’s approach to respond to this message is a proof of seriousness, in fact! Good luck to Lingoo!