Yes, this is true. The real test is or will be how well their CS deals with this. I have friends that have Hornady dies that really like them.
Personally I probably would have tried polishing them myself. Depending on how fast I planned to use them after they arrived.
I put a couple small scratches in my Hornady 308 set over the years, which then caused some galling on the cases and brass on the walls of the inside of the die.
I cleaned the die thoroughly with Brake Clean and copper remover, and then used toothpaste on a Scotchbrite in the drill to buff out the very light scratches causing the galling. Still going strong after probably 10000 cases with no issues.
If it came new like that? Id call Hornady, and they would just send you a new die.