I keep my Bitcoin on a hardware wallet. I use Electrum together with my hardware wallet only when sending Bitcoin, and I haven't been doing much of that since the new 4.0 versions came out. I like to wait before big upgrades to give the developers some time to fix bugs and glitches. I am planning to upgrade before my next consolidation transactions.
Holding on your own, waiting to update your wallet software invites malware or internal server manipulation as well as hacks if the system has gone outdated. It's better to go with the flow and update each and every time you see it (without waiting of course) as it will only save you from the possible bad things that might happen with your coins just because you wanted to wait.
@OP, It has never been a good idea to provide any services and / or digital goods to anyone who sent you some coins but the coins didn't confirm. Ask them to wait for at least 6 confirmations because after that, it becomes impossible for them to double-spend that transaction and saves you from the hassle of getting scammed.