This kind of exchange would not cause me to make an appointment at all. In fact, I would consider it a good reason not to see them. Every time I've looked for a therapist in the past and talked to them on the phone, they would answer all my questions and it would be a conversation. The first time I talked to my current therapist, she was friendly, listened well, answered all of my questions and then offered a free 15 minute in person appointment to meet and see how things felt in person.

I think your complication is that your therapist recommended this person, so maybe you feel some obligation or trust, but in my experience these professional recommendations don't hold much water. The fact that your therapist thinks this person is great doesn't really mean a whole lot since they were not seeing them as a client but as a peer and peers relate to each other very differently. Whenever my therapist has suggested another professional, I have no problem letting her know what I think about the referral, after talking to them or doing research about them.