OurFamilyWizard

I was hesitant to use the app after reading the "poor" reviews until I noticed how critical the comments were and people complaining about being "forced" to use it. While not all courts are perfect, there is generally some reason why it would be ordered, and that's usually to protect the children or one of the parents.

I wasn't "forced" to use it but do see how it helps my children and everyone knows what is going on. In my case the "other" parent is verbally abusive, accuses people of things, and is inconsistent. This website helps me, and the tone meter feature helps keep me cool, as well as keeps us focused on the kids.

So far I've had one interaction with customer service, and they were friendly, helpful, and answered my question very quickly. I was very happy with their service. I can imagine if one of the people writing the critical review interacted with them in the same way they wrote their review, it would be understandable they had a bad experience. You get what you give.

Keep up the good work Our Family Wizard! Thank you for adding a layer of help for those of us who need it!

Absolute worst way to communicate my judge told me log everything the mother does into Our Family Wizard and I will read it yeah right it's been 7 years and nothing has been done the mother continually violates court order and she continues to win in court even though I log everything she does wrong steals my court-ordered visits with my daughter and gets away with it

OFW has been a godsend for me and having to deal with my high conflict ex. I love the fact that all communications now go through OFW. I was at a point that I hated to use my phone because the ex would spam text me and text me about nothing and send multiple e-mails about 1 topic. He even went so far as to create fake texts and fake screen shots that he tried to use in court. Well, with OFW, there is no more of that or any authentication issues. Also, there is no more disjointed communications between texts and e-mail that becomes cumbersome and impossible for legal professionals to put together (not to mention expensive to read through). All communications are in one place. I also like the time-stamp feature of when messages were sent and when they were read. I was accused of not communicating. Well, that argument is over. I, along with the parenting coordinator can see each and every message, when expenses were communicated and when activities were scheduled.

I think that when OFW is used with a parenting coordinator, abusive patterns can be more easily established, proven, and dealt with in quick manner. It's all in writing. Best $119 I spend each year.

OurFamilyWizard (OFW) Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, does not provide a way for you to delete your data and protect you and your families privacy.

After I reviewed OFW's policies and procedures on their website, I emailed their support directly as I have done in the past for other companies, to request them to delete my account and the data within. I informed them that I do not have any pending legal reason that they would need to hold onto the data and offered to sign a legal affidavit stating such as well. They refused to comply with my request. Didn't ask to verify my identity, or anything of reasonable path of confirming my identity either.

Also, their tool does not offer Multifactor Authentication, Passwordless auth tokens, or SMS push, email push tokens, etc to validate your account. This is a big problem if your coparent is allowing other people to sign in as them and send you responses (Which happened to me.). My coparent's account had 4x the number of usual logins.

As an individual that works in the cyber world; a company that won't comply with a deletion request that doesn't have a legal reason to resist is very alarming and concerning for me.

If you live in a state that provides data deletion protections, you may need to seek legal assistance and take them to court.

First off I can't help to think that judges in a bunch of lawyers got together and made this app knowing that it's going to be court ordered and you cannot refuse it because if you do you will be out in contempt, I had to purchase it because I had children's to more than 1 mother who both like to team up on me and have the same lawyer and try to get me in trouble and try to take my kids away they haven't found a way to do it yet. So now I'm paying over $200 and change for this app, I don't even know what it does that only lets you have one babies mom wife or ex-wife or girlfriend or ex-girlfriend because trying to have two different accounts in log back-and-forth. Now on the other hand here's the thing when people are trying to take your kids away from you Just because they're butt hurt that we're not together or I have physical custody I'm good to my kids and I pay for them and I don't make any mistakes so to take my kids they have to falsely engineer mistakes like I'm abusive or blah blah blah I am very passive as far as bother them. They try to start with me daily and my end is me all day long my phone's usually quiet I don't say anything I'll let it go for $#*!ing decades but then they start to lie and try to take my children away stating a lie may he be on drugs for whatever it is you know the same old same old. So even though these women do not want to be on it either they hate me so much that they have to pay for this subscription, 2 women who absolutely hated each other because of how the others treated the other kids mind you and that's why we're not together because I won't let anybody treat my kids like $#*! they absolutely hate each other and each other's kids and they teamed up and sold them selves the devil. Goes to show there's no truth no morals and the judge and the lawyers that made this OFW getting rich off our back because these women and men let that system have too much power. But this app is really for those lying crybaby's who start $#*! and can't listen to the truth when you finally stick it out there.

I called in because the calendar showed a blank. One schedule going to the 5th and the new schedule starting the 6th. It actually shows the wrong Parents time on the mini calendar. Called into support. Support explained that the update had to be done a day in advance. I pointed out that the schedule was updated more then 24 hours/1 day in advance. It was done 35 hours in advance. The agent then started trying to belittle me when I said simply shouldn't the existing schedule at least continue until the new change takes place. They then said I could write and share notes, but as every parent should know a parent time schedule has to be written in advance and changes will happen to your schedule all the time, and your court order may not state a mandatory 24 hour change notification. Asked to talk to a manager, they said they would send me to their voice mail and they would call back. I have called back in since and asked about the call back. I still have not been called back. It's been multiple calls and now more then 6 months. If you have an issue you would be better off to buy a different product.

This platform is a joke. NO ONE looks at it in the court system. At the last hearing for contempt the judge didn't even know how to access the site to read anything, look at the calendar, or access the messages. The lawyers hadn't reviewed the site ever or even prior to the hearing. The hearing was adjourned for the court to learn how to access and review the communications. The court order was violated on just about every stipulation and documented for the past 4 years on this system and the officers of the court don't even attempt to access it. The system is flawed on every level and this is just another money grab forcing additional financial strain on both parties. Court mandated participation at 100.00 for each party adds up for somebody in this system. I'd save the money if this is brought up even for high conflict communication. Google calendars and emails are free and accounts can be created specifically for this purpose. Inviting the government to participate in your family affairs gets you this; and people who go home to their own families without a second thought about yours.

This app shouldn't exist. No one from the courts is "monitoring" this. It's a money scam! THIS APP ONLY CREATED ANOTHER PLATFORM FOR MY EX HUSBAND TO HARASS ME, just more "officially" because it's a $100 app instead of a text or email. It's ridiculous. He messages me and then creates a journal entry and then uploads the screenshots to the "info bank" (For safe measure) STAY AWAY FROM THIS APP! STAY AWAY. There is no support, no way to stop any of it. Just a waste od money! Unless that is, you are abusing it. Then it's perfect for you.

Some time ago, OFW changed their appearance to a much worse scheme. Expensive. Limited storage for price.

Like who saves drafts and let's the other person read your thoughts even if I didn't send the email?

-CUSTOMER SUPPORT ANSWERS IMMEDIATELY AND IS PATIENT WITH PARENTS LIKE ME WHO ARE COMPUTER/APP/IT DEFICIENT!
-TELLS YOU WHEN YOUR COPARENT READ THE EMAIL
-GROUP TEXT WITH CLINICAL TEAM MEMBERS LIKE CHILD THERAPIST, FAMILY THERAPIST, AND ATTORNEY AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU THE PARENT OR THE CLINICIAN.
-CHEAPER THAN $450 HOUR LEGAL FEE AND $400 HOUR PARENT COORDINATOR TO COMMUNICATE
-GREAT IN DEMONSTRATING ABUSE SUCH AS THOSE EMAILS AT 2 AM "COMMUNICATING A NO SHOW FOR PARENTING TIME OR SWITCH IN PARENTING SCHEDULE.
-NO ISSUES ATTACHING IMAGES SUCH AS OLD EMAILS FROM OTHER PLATFORMS LIKE YAHOO OR VERIZON TO PROVE CONFLICTING HISTORY OF COMMUNICATION/INFORMATION
-TIME STAMPED AND GPS COORDINATE FEATURE USED FOR ARRIVAL TIME FOR PICK UP AND DROP OFF. THE CONTROLLING PARENT WHO MAKES HIS OR HER OWN HOURS HATES THIS FEATURE.
-NO MORE HAVING EX INTERFERE WITH EMAIL SUCH AS GOING TO JUNK MAIL SUDDENLY, EMAILS BEING TAMPERED WITH, DELETED, MODIFIED.

I CAN NOT HELP BUT THINK THAT ALL POOR REVIEWS ON THESE SITES FOR OUR FAMILY WIZARD ARE FROM THE CONTROLLING PARENT WHO NOW HAS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE DUE TO THE STREAMLINED RECORD KEEPING OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION. I AM LOVING THIS PLATFORM SO FAR.

This wretched site offers all the right options for a seasoned parental alienator to do their best work. Not getting what you want? ADD the child to witness all parental interactions regarding custody, if a good parent just wants to opt out of the abuse as OFW does nothing during back and forth interactions and not re-up their subscription... that right is also taken away by OFW allowing the rotten coparent to reup a subscription for a year allowing an alienating parent to maintain both accounts and not communicating on any other platform, using missed communications as a reason for no drop offs and no visits for the victim. The children take a front row seat to this whole thing. OH!, and anyone else want to join the fight and silently witness every single interaction each parent has without one or the other even knowing? OFW offers that too. An entire Christmas was enjoyed solely by a parental alienating mother, who told her children their father was not interested in seeing them, not mentioning she had turned her alerts off and reported to the father after new years that OFW malfunctioned. But almost a year later we are almost over this in therapy sessions. But this father is not able to cancel his subscription to this jacked up manipulators paradise... she resubscribed for us! Let the abuse go ON!

Atrocious customer support, as several users have attested.
E-mails are printed in font far too small, and cannot be adjusted in Firefox, only in Chrome, and with custom toying. Threads cannot be printed in chronological order, only in reverse, even if one alters the Date function.
Phone call for help resulted in a peremptory, rude, insulting woman.
Second call was very good, thanks to a fellow named See ("C").
But e-mail to report both calls would not go through: ten times rejected with message: "CAPTCHA validation error: unknown CAPTCHA session ID. Contact the site administrator if this problem persists."
Three hours of my morning wasted, with problems still unresolved, and no way to report.
Here is my message which their site refused to deliver:
"Called this morning for help with printing at 8:03 CST. A woman at Customer "service" was extremely rude, peremptory, interrupted repeatedly, was condescending, and assumed the problem was that I was "unaware" of options. That's right - blame the customer for a very poor site design.
When I asked to speak to a supervisor, or to be connected with another person, she said that wasn't possible. "Just call back, and I won't answer," she said.
I did call back, had to wait several minutes, but then received help from See ("C"). He was very patient, professional and friendly - everything the first person was not. See was exemplary, and should be training other members, while the previous person should be reprimanded for egregious service.
After using your site for over two years now, I have to say it is not "User Friendly". There needs to be an adequate Help section, and more print options - especially printing a thread in order: no matter what I adjust in dates, the messages print in reverse chronological order.
Considering what we pay for this service, your site is woefully inadequate. I don't have any trouble with other services, only yours. I would never recommend the quality of your service to someone, until I see a serious response to these problems."

Our Family Wizard is likely another tool developed by lawyers, for lawyers. It dissuades adults from having face to face interactions about something that, likely, isn't too important. Their children. The court has ordered me to use it, even though I went to court as the plaintiff against my wife for violating our custody order. Now she violates our interim custody order as well, endorsed by the court, in her actions. This app or program actually dissuades adults from acting like adults and speaking to one another in an adult fashion. That this is endorsed by courts, lawyers, behavioral professionals or anyone clear thinking for that matter is an indictment on how far humanity has swayed from actually being able to have face to face interactions. It's mere existence is problematic. Social media forums, in general, are to exist to supplement communication, not take its place. If possible I would file suit against this company for being an accessory to the destruction of my relationship with my children. It's an abomination and that I was forced to pay for it is yet another criminal act perpetrated by those I look to for equality and justice. Communication about one's children isn't supposed to be litigated, or mitigated. It is supposed to be "in the best interests of the children." OFW provides kickbacks to municipalities that choose to utilize this website. There should be a class-action suit filed against this company for anti-trust law violations. Despite being a victim of parental alienation syndrome I am the one ordered to this site with the threat of incarceration. Since I was left I have been called 'defendant, obligor, and non-custodial parent', all of which are inaccurate and defamatory but no lawyer would take my case as they are in on the family court corruption. This site is garbage. Everyone who works for this company should be ashamed of themselves. They facilitate the chasm that exists between two people that should not be encumbered by anyone. When they are shut down I will do a cartwheel.

As someone dealing with a high-conflict divorce and co-parent, I had high hopes for OFW. Having a tool that allows scheduling, payments and documented communications all on a single platform is a great idea. Unfortunately, while OFW addresses these goals, it does it so poorly as to be of little to no actual value.

From a purely technical standpoint, this service is terrible. The platform is outdated, and the user interface makes completing even the simplest of tasks unnecessarily complicated and difficult. I would totally expect this to be a free app or some coding student's first college project from 1999, just based on how bare-bones and riddled with operating problems it is. The exorbitant cost for the service is definitely not reinvested in bringing the platform up-to-date, or making it more stable and user-friendly.

The worst part is that customer service and tech support seem to only offer canned generalizations instead of actual solutions. You tell them a feature has a replicable bug, or that a process has a template/form assigned that does not actually provide space for the information needed, and they respond with an irrelevant spiel about how many other great features the service supposedly offers. What good are more features if they aren't in good working order?

OurFamilyWizard would do well to invest in some UX testing. As it stands, there is absolutely no value to this service that is not well exceeded by a ton of FREE co-parenting and general-usage organization apps out there. Unfortunately, the company has no incentive to make improvements when courts continue to order it be used, whether it works well or not.

In short, if you're ordered to use a communication service, check with the mediator or judge to see if you can use one of the newer, more reputable free co-parenting apps out there instead. And if you're fortunate enough not to be ordered to use OFW specifically, by all means, avoid it. The value just isn't there.