Geothermal heat pumps have been all the rage for a while, but I haven't heard from anyone who actually owns one. I'm still waiting on some real-life experiences before I lay down a few thousand bucks to get one. Plus, it has to be reliable and it has to heat/cool the house at least as well as the traditional heat pump.

Geothermal heat pumps do work well. But you need to do a cost evaluation before you do plunk down all the bucks.
The return on your investment depends on many factors.
where you live.
How well your home is built and how tight it is.
How long are you willing to wait for a payback on your investment.
AS far as how well it works as compared to the traditional air type of system. It works much better as the gound temps stay much more steady then the outside air used for the heating source during the winter.