Remember that reviews are the opinion of the reviewer - and everyone's opinion is based on expectation.
Most of the bad reviews I've seen of the value resorts are from folks expecting them to be MORE. The Disney website clearly describes the amenities in the room and resort and clearly levels their resorts into three categories. Yes - towels are going to be thinner and beds not as nice at a "value" hotel. Duh. There's no coffeemaker. Yuck. BUT - the nice thing about the Disney values - what you get is usually delivered in excellent, clean condition. They are consistently clean and in very good/excellent condition.
I've personally never had trouble with the thin walls - because I've never been next to noisy guests. Yes, I believe that happens - but it can happen at a deluxe resort, too. Couple of my worst hotel nights ever were at high-end hotels with noisy neighbors. My only real problem at a Disney hotel was at a moderate - HVAC unit wasn't working properly.
Yes - you can get more features and a higher quality experience at a resort off-site for the same amount of money. Lots of folks diss the value resorts (well, all Disney resorts, really) based on that fact. Some of those off-site folks aren't calculating in the cost of parking, gas, and drive time. Or they don't place any value on the on-site experience. Some have family group sizes and needs that really aren't going to be met by Disney options. So those that like to complain about Disney prices vs off-site hotels - I disregard those - it's like choosing between an apple and a banana - sure its a fruit - but there are lots of other differences.
Me - I'm headed on my seventh stay at a value resort later this month. I really prefer higher-end, more business class hotels and rarely stay at places as basic as the Disney values for my other travels. But hey - it's because I opt to not spend too much on the room all the time that I can afford to be headed on my 13th trip to Disney since 2010.