It's always been a gripe of mine way back before I sold audio products myself. I always disliked the way salesmen would cut down the competition only to find them selling the offending product a few months later.
Why dealers disparage certain products?
Full disclosure...I've been an executive in the consumer electronics business for over 50 years. From small one man "on campus" HiFi sales, to Radio Shack franchise, to a 12 store pure HiFi chain to a 240 store publicly traded HiFi chain.
There are three reasons a dealer will disparage products:
#1...Some other dealer in the area already has the product and supports it.
#2...The dealer could not get a line of credit for the product and doesn't have the finances to stock and sell the product. And/Or the manufacturer requires a substantial financial commitment.
#3...He/She is an honest dealer and actually auditioned the product and decided to offer an alternative
(Rule #1 in retail sales....NEVER disparage a competitor or other products.....NEVER!)