OK, so Robinson get the design wrong, then scrap all the blades that have been paid for and make you buy new ones...? Would this happen in any other industry - i.e. the car industry, no they would issue a free of charge replacement.
Kev.
Well... no, as a matter of fact. It's exactly the same situation as Robinson. If you're in warranty, you're in luck. If you're out of warranty, then (unless there has been a big publicity splash about the problem), you have to live with the failure and pay for the repair.
Go to any auto repair shop and ask what the common failures are on any given make, they'll know off the top of their heads. For years, Smart car engines up to about 2002 regularly failed on one particular cylinder after about 45k miles. Smart offered no free repairs outside warranty. Fiat punto head gaskets go with alarming regularity around 65k miles, some Toyota cat's fail way too early, the list is endless.
The car manufacturers "do their best" (to be generous to them). Caveat Emptor once the warranty is through.
Lafite
When a safety-relevant part is found faulty by design on a car (or car part, bike, toy, kitchen appliance), there is usually a product recall. The part or the whole item is then either replaced at the manufacturers cost, or the purchase price is refunded to the customer in full.
Latest example: all the recent car recalls. I don't remember hearing anyone say "sorry, your brakes have been recalled, but you have to pay for it because the warranty is over." If anything, a recall comes with an apology and sometimes a free gift, like a rental car, to apease the irate customer..
Another example:
16 years ago Toyota did a recall for their 4Runner 4WD due to faulty headgaskets on a certain engine model. Toyota honors that recall up to this date, and if you have a vehicle in the affected serial# range, you can get it repaired, for free, today, even if you are not the original owner.
Remains the question: What would happen to the price of a new R44 (or any other helicopter) if the manufacturers were obligated to pay for their stuff-ups in a similar way?