The lost art of positive introduction networking???

When you are starting up a new business, you need lots of help - so you go shopping around your mates/their networks for help. But it has come as a shock as to what I find on occasions I get introduced to when asking for help in certain areas:

For mobile phones - the guy I really trusted in this area introduced me to a salesman who wanted to charge me MORE than if I went direct to the networks themselves, and INSISTED that I must use Orange. I am still awaiting a reply to my last eMail of some ten days ago, pointing out that rebates were great but what about the fact his prices were a tad high?

For insurance - a good friend gave me an introduction to an MD, who shifted the job out to a "staffer" who just wanted to sell to me, when I wanted to buy. He also didn't know what type of FSA regulated insurance broking company he worked for!!!

When I make an introduction, I clarify the need, ring the introduction and clear it, give them a verbal briefing often followed up by an eMail (with a swap of vCards), and make sure later all is OK. In the first instance, my introducer simply sent an eMail with my vcard attached, so I got sold to as opposed to bought - in the second case, the introducer I know uses a similar system to myself, but their network staffed it out and has probably lost the opportunity as he couldn't listen.

Is there a lost art of networking? Or is the "I know you because I have your card" method now completely taken over?