I almost did not buy this based on the fairly negative tone of a lot of the reviews. But I am glad I did. A lot of others reported damage to their product, I really didn't have any. I had one piece that was cracked, but after installing it, I am not worried about it, it is solid. Some of that I think you have to expect. It does come with a boat load of parts and pieces and it did take me about 4 hours to put it together. All pieces and hardware were there and I wasn't short anything. I found the instructions to be pretty clear and detailed. You just need a little time and patience. I did put wood glue in all of the dowel inserts, it didn't call for it, but I figured it couldn't hurt and would increase structural integrity. The fireplace insert looks nice, I was really pleased with it, and it heats up my room very well (it is a closed off 12 foot by roughly 20 foot room). The remote works fine, and yeah, it is a fake fire, but I think it looks pretty good in my opinion. I agree with the one reviewer who said to leave the door hinges off till last, I had put the the two small blocks that the door hinges attach to on backwards, and had to take off and reverse. Pay close attention to which way they go. Doors did not close all the way initially but after playing with the adjustments on the hinges, they work fine. For what I spent, I think I got decent value, so my experience was good. Very pleased with it.