This is my second Littermaid.  My first worked great but my cat died so I sold it on Ebay.  However, it always worked well but you have to use the correct litter or the Littermaid will not work as advertised.  I never had a problem with the motor failing or other issues I've read in these reviews.  I also read that if the motor jams there is a reset that many user may not know about and this may be a reason for so many returns.  Once again in the year I used it the motor never stopped working.  The box is a bit noisy so I wouldn't suggest setting this in a bedroom.  Also, there is a chance that the rake moving and noise may scare your cat and they will not want to use it. Try setting it up with the power off for a few days and then turn it on after the cat gets use to using the box. The only other issue is that there is a raking motion that pushes all the waste forward but it also pushes good litter with it so the end result is good litter gets dumped into the plastic bin.  I had the option of buying the newer unit but read so many bad reviews that I decided to go for one of the older models.  I also build a table with a hole in it.  Then I cut out the bottom of the plastic container that catches the waste.  Now the unit dumps the waste into a 13 gallon trash bag and I can go quite a while without emptying it.  With the stock container you can go about 3 days with one cat.  If I wasn't setting up the table and larger bag I would look more closely at the Smart Scoop.  It seems to waste less litter.