There is absolutely nothing wrong with Trek.
When I was pricing bikes, only a few were really good at the price I was at.
I rode a Trek 4500, a Specialized Hardrock (can't remember which one), and a Kona Fire Mountain. For 1, the Kona was a bit underspec'd, for two, the specialized looked and rode kinda crappy, for me anyways. The Trek Won the battle, because it rode nicer, for me, than the other 2, and beat the Kona hands down on value.
Now those are the brands that my LBS's, all 2 of them, carry. So that is what I had to choose from. And I am still very happy with my choice.