I just got some seeds in and have to agree, this sounds like BS when you think it through. But I am going to get a magnifying glass and give it a try since it can't hurt.
By the way, I have some feminised seeds from Dutch Passion that were tiny, almost shriveled, and looked nothing at all like these seeds at least in that they didn't have the developed volcano-like depression. But they cracked in about 24 hours and 12 hours later they were in the ground. All three came up. One starter pot fell off a two story balcony and I rescued the sprout from the grass. It had severe shock and is growing about half the pace the others are. Right now it's a compliment to DP's seeds and will be interesting to see if they stay female. I will probably kill the one that got so stressed just to avoid the problem.