Smaller customers normally do not get ripped off as they are the bait for the big fish, do not forget that. Every time one of these sites gets hot the owners get greedy and since there are way more fish then whales the GOOD comes out with only 1/100th of the people being scammed then outed.
My experience with Coinbase has been positive. I think it helps if we realize we are dealing with emerging technology, volatile markets and startup companies who have to deal with 100,000s of over-excited clients. It serves us all better to show more understanding and patience.