Good quality CFL's aren't bad, especially in a situation where you turn them on and leave them on, and not have to turn them off and on repeatedly, like in a bathroom. But cheap CFL's tend to burn out rather quickly, so people get disillusioned and wonder about the claims of thousands of hours of use. In fact, cheap CFL's often burn out faster than an incandescent does.

In many cases, however, it can be the user's fault. CFL's need air to cool and people put them in fixtures that cause them to overheat.