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If you thought shelling out £30 to get your broadband set up was bad enough, spare a thought for the guy who was quoted a whopping £40,000 by BT.
David Henthorne lives near Buxton in the Peak District, Derbyshire, and while the area is known for its scenic views and fresh water, one thing residents struggle with is very slow internet.
This proved particularly tricky during the lockdown, with the former water scientist telling DerbyshireLive that movies were buffering every other minute and online shopping was near impossible.
David’s internet is averaging at around 2Mbps, far below the national average of 22Mbps.
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Although he’s been with BT since 2002, like the rest of the UK his usage has gone up over the years. As such, in January 2021 David went to the broadband supplier and asked for improved speeds.
But since his home is so remote, he was told he’d need to cover the costs of having the infrastructure installed - hence the £40,000 bill.
Speaking to the outlet, David said: "I have an Amazon fire stick to watch films, but it was buffering every other minute and made it look like I was watching the film through a window with rain on it.
"During lockdown I used online supermarket shopping, but my connection was so slow the tab would time out before I could order everything."
David is eligible to get improved speeds under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband, a legal right to request a decent and affordable broadband connection up to a cost threshold of £3,400 per premises.
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Costs obviously depend on location and how many people will be using the coverage – and if the work goes over £3,400, the user can pay the excess price and get the upgrade.
However, this obviously puts David in an awkward spot, facing thousands of pounds just to be able to do a bit of a food shop online.
He added: “I am so far away from everyone that they would have to put fibre cables in for basically just me."
Thankfully, he was able to find an alternative solution after looking into National Broadband's 4G services.
His internet now reaches speeds of 20Mbps, adding: "I am now able to get on with my day-to-day online activities and talk to friends and family online and hassle-free."
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A BT spokesperson told the publication: “The quote provided to Mr Henthorne was the cost of delivering a broadband connection under the Universal Service Obligation in January 2021.
“We’re pleased that Mr Henthorne has since been able to find an alternative connection.”
LADbible has contacted BT for further comment.
Featured Image Credit: National Broadband/AlamyTopics: UK News, Technology