There are other reasons people grow autos --
Outside:
Small, hide them behind the tomato planters
They will flower regardless of the time of year (they are programmed to flower -- climate permitting and location dependent, you could get a couple/few grows through the year)
Inside:
Multi-shelf with no worry for separate grow areas
Small for cabinet/closet grows
Can keep the lights on 24/7 to increase yield
Can grow autos while vegging photos -- slip a couple in when you have extra room and want some bonus bud
Some disadvantages:
Good genetics are a MUST...no skating by with bad seeds
Probably slightly less potent...but if you get good genetics...the gap is narrow
Most people say autos are easy to grow. Yes, they are easy to grow. They are also easy to stunt and slow growth as well. If you slow their development down, they will rarely catch up. They are programmed for a life of limited veg, flowering, and dying. They have a set time to do this regardless of what hell you put the plant through. Stress and auto out by transplanting, screwing up nutes, PH problams -- and she could spend weeks trying to survive. If she is in survival mode and not developing her flowers, she is going to have drastically lower yields (this could have something to do with the bad reviews you are hearing). To do a good job on an auto is to dial everything in -- for that reason, I think they are tougher to grow than photos.