Krups FME2 12-Cup Coffee Maker

I had a Braun KF180 that lasted only 20 months; usually a pot per day. A friend of mine went through two KF180s in under three years, so I decided to look around.
I was looking for the basics: programmable, 12 cup, cone filter, easy to fill, most importantly...GOOD flavor. After reading the two existing reviews found here I thought I'd take a chance especially after the sale price; I paid $60.00 for it.
Following the directions for first time use, I ran water only and hand washed the carafe and basket. Cool blue display! I paid no attention to setting the clock, nor paid attention to the flashing 8s as I was eager to brew the first pot.
After letting it cool for about 15 minutes, I brewed my first pot'o'joe at 11:30pm on a Friday night. What a coffee geek. Behold....wonderful flavor!!! Absolutely all I wanted it to be...I'm the double short Americano espresso type, and this brewer made my joe nice and stout and rich.
Now for the bad news....I can't set the clock because of those flashing 8s. Since I can't set the clock, I can't program it either. But what a rich cup'o'joe!
The instructions state that after plugging the unit in, the display will flash "8888", then go solid "8888" after a moment or two. Well, the flashing never stopped.
I found the water gauge easy to read: the water in the tube magnifies the background, making it easy to read the numbers behind it. Nevermind that, I use the markings on the carafe anyway. Kinda cool feature, though.
I'm going to enjoy this first pot, unplug the sucker, and try programming it again in the AM. Maybe, hopefully, me not setting the time before hitting the "on" button was the cause. I know, odd thinking but this brewer made a mean cup'o'joe, so I'm hoping it's the circuit board logic (maybe a capacitor has to fully discharge??).
Time will tell, and I'll try to remember to update this review at a later date because that's the true way to determine real value.

UPDATE-
OK, I exchanged the malfunctioning brewer for another. I'm completely satisfied with this coffee maker.

I have auto brew 5 days a week for work. I leave the auto brew feature on all the time, the thing turns itself off within a minute or two when there is no water. Cool.

I still find it easy to fill and it is easy to clean. If there were any complaint about the filter basket it would be that I can't set it down to put the coffee in, unlike the Braun I had before. Whoopee. No biggy there. That is completely offset given this one comes with a filter. The Braun didn't; it was any extra you had to buy.

Ya, it's louder than the Braun....whoopee.
The carafe drips if there is water on the outside of the pouring lip. No biggy there either.

If I can remember, I'll update again in six months.

Update!
Well, it's been only four months, but I'm checking in anyway. The coffee maker is still brewing strong! I like this thing a lot. I've had no issues with the replacement. Burner is still in great shape.