How old is this advice? But clearly still necessary.

I was intending buying a log burning stove so I did what most of us do today – I went on the net (for no more than 15 mins) to get an idea of price and to learn a little about the different options and extras so I could get just a basic understanding as to what I was looking for. That 15 mins resulted in my knowing more about log burning stoves than the first 2 retailers I visited! How can that be? As a result I didn’t have the confidence to buy from either of them. I bought from the 3rd retailer I called on simply because they could at least answer simple questions about their own product. Want to make sales? Know your product.