It seems that most of the complaints come from people who expect the same performance from a swamp cooler as an air conditioner. No matter how well designed an evaporative cooler is, a sump cooler cannot violate the laws of thermodynamics. This element does exactly what sensible people should expect. The fan blows, the water evaporates, the cooling air a few degrees below the ambient temperature. In the fan air flow, the room looks a little more comfortable. If that's what you want, you'll be satisfied. Please understand that the swamp cooler will not work when the air is very humid. Again, no matter how well designed evaporative coolers are, they cannot overcome the laws of thermodynamics. If you want something that will significantly cool the air in your room, and you're willing to pay crazy money for electricity, buy an actual air conditioner.