I don't know about the corals, can't think of the last time I ever bought any at a LFS, but I've never had an issue with any fish I bought at Big Als.
Not that we're talking about a lot of fish here, I guess only 3 of them (hey that's 50% of my fish though!
). Of course I did my homework first with those 3 and I think that might be part of the equation.
{With any store} You do need to exercise common sense and judgment when you make a purchase .... you need to know what you want and what to look for, and never rely on the good word of a vendor to be unbiased (they might be, but they might not be. Or they may not know better).
There was a red carpet at Big Al's in the summertime for $60. At the time it was the furthest thing from my mind due to other circumstances but man alive. That thing sat there for like 6 or 7 weeks. These things go for like >$200 USD south of the 49th. I should have jumped on it, and I'm kicking myself now that I didn't. Oh well.