I always have manuals. In fact, the last time my primary driver was an auto, Jimmy Carter was president. It is true that manuals sometimes are a little cantankerous going into first or reverse from a dead stop. The key is frequency--is it happening all the time, or just on the odd occasion? When it happens, don't force it--just engage another gear and then try again.
I would suggest you let an experienced manual driver take a spin in you car. Don't tell them you suspect anything--just see if they notice anything wrong. However, given that the car is new and still under warranty, I would also definitely have the dealer look at it and get it "on record" that there may be a problem.