While I do agree with your thinking I’ve also been licensed by the CCB and I know exactly how that cookie crumbles if push comes to shove and I can already hear the words coming out of the judges mouth... New product or not, as a licensed contractor it is ultimately your responsibility to know better. You are the professional.
This is where the details come into play. Where are you located in the country. What shop are you working for. What kind of relationship do you have with that shop. Will they step up and own their side of the mistake.
I've been working out of the shop since 1975 when I was starting out with my grandfather. I went on my own and 1987 and I think I have two minor complaints that I had to repair.
Actually, one of those was a 12x12 kitchen replacement in designer solarian. Their cabinets were not in yet. Being an interflex product, I prepped the floor out to put the seam through the middle of the room. When I laid the two pieces in place the lady asked if I can give it a quarter turn because of where the sink was located. It was late in the day. The customer had installed their own plywood and he did a really good job of setting the nails.
The way I had initially laid out, I had prepped the area where the seam was to be glued. In this new configuration I didn't have time to skim coat the area where the adhesive would be. Like I said the nails were set very nicely, not smacked in leaving a big dent.
I put the floor in and 2 weeks later when I stopped at the shop, the owner said he didn't have anything set up for me today but I needed to go look at that job because the customer had a complaint.
The cabinets were in and everything looked fantastic. Their complaint was too tiny divots next to the seam. It was 6 in out from the toe kick and you literally had to get down on the floor with the light hitting just right to see them. did he see the head shrunk pulling the vinyl down into the tiny dents. It actually took a minute for the customer to find them and point them out. I simply told him that if they weren't happy I'd replace the floor. They commented, the shop pays for that right. I said no, ...I do.
I went ahead and replaced the floor and afterwards they had me back three times to do additional work.
So it paid off even though I shouldn't have replaced the floor. It looked fantastic and the seams were invisible. They are extremely finicky people. I think during a bathroom remodel they rejected five full size one piece, tub/shower units because I'm an electron microscope that they own different see scratches.
I simply refuse to screw up my work.
