Wait so long? Was there something you needed to buy immediately, and you need your payout right away? Otherwise, what does it really matter if you end up getting the coins you are supposed to get at the point in time when they are able to pay out?
The vast majority of Eligius miner's don't know and don't trust the operators of the pool. They use it because it is the low fee option. Once the risk (meaning queued payouts) becomes greater than the reward (call it 1% of mining), then they leave.