I've been using the heck out of my crock pot that I got for Christmas. I will admit that my first roast was as OP described but everything since has been excellent. I think I removed the lid to check the meat too often on the first one (since it was a much newer model than I'd previously used), which allowed a lot of evaporation and allowed the meat to dry out. I'm sure the kids are getting sick of it but it makes things so much easier for me and I love the results.
All temperature settings on a slow cooker will get the liquid to 200F+ now (I don't think older ones would go that high on low setting), it's just a matter of how long it takes to get there. A cooking thermometer helps but is not the full solution really, because the meat will get to a safe temp (160F+) within 2-3 hours but needs to get higher than that to break down the collagen and get the meat tender.