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.
But the thing is, ANY pool can be ripping off their members, even if they have the prettiest, most reliable stats. For all the members of BTC Guild know it's taking members a few minutes longer than it's supposed to each day to mine a certain amount, and that hash time is going to the head cheese at BTC Guild. Heck, I am sure there are ways to skim off coins that most people wouldn't even understand.
Nobody knows for sure. However, I do know that Eligius has always paid out eventually, and I am in no hurry to spend my BTC, so I can wait....UNTIL NEXT THURSDAY when I am ordering an S1. I better have my damn payout by then! :-)