I read the reviews before purchasing and worked around the complaints. Tape the coffee maker in the on position to avoid the switch failing-turn it on by plugging in! To avoid paper filter failure use 2 and make sure filters sit evenly and completely down. Do not overfill with coffee amount at start-I like stronger coffee and use 5 generous scoops of coffee measured by a Gevalia coffee scoop. I'm guessing a tablespoon is the equivalent. Make sure grounds are evenly distributed in the filter-like a lake and not a mountin! I fill the water in the pot between 12 cups and the maximum. Swing the water injector All the way over manually and close the top. Plug in to start. Once the coffee level is over the 12 cup mark I open the lid and quickly drain any water and IMMEDIATELY close the lid and wait til the action stops and then turn the coffee maker off by UNPLUGGING. I don't use the 2hr hotplate feature, but a microwave to heat any additional cups. This way the heating element isn't prone to having any problems. Following these simple steps has kept my Mr.Coffee working without incident. You can always decrease the amount of grounds or water used for your preference and if the paper filter flops over make sure it is opened evenly and the grounds are level! Hope this works for you!!!