A businesswoman who chained herself to the St Austell BT telephone exchange in anger over waiting weeks for her broadband internet connection is urging others in a similar situation to do the same.
Lisa Cain, who runs Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery in Tywardreath, decided to take direct action after weeks of waiting and numerous calls to BT asking them to activate her broadband internet fell on deaf ears.
Grandmother of two Miss Cain, 49, said: "BT can hold us hostage for as long as they want unless we do something like this."
The problems unfolded when Miss Cain moved just 300 yards from her former building to another, which already had a working phone socket for phone and broadband.
Miss Cain offers various jewellery making courses costing up to £350.
She was even told by the BT engineer he couldn't connect at the same time as the phone because "it wasn't on his job sheet" despite having the tools to do it.
Seven weeks after making her initial enquiry and eight hours of calls later and Miss Cain was told by text message she would not be connected until May 8.
She said: "There was no logical reason [for not activating the internet] and I was just passed around. It was damaging my business.
"My business brings lots of people and money into the county. We're all losing out by the way BT is acting.
"When they texted me to say I would not be connected until May 8 I just lost it.
"I called BT on April 30 to give them an ultimatum; to connect my internet by noon the next day or I will be handcuffing myself to the gates of the nearest BT exchange building."
Less than an hour later the company called to say she would be connected by the end of the next day but they missed Miss Cain's deadline and she held the protest anyway.
Her action was in "desperation and to counteract the stressful feeling of powerlessness caused by BT's appalling customer service", she said.
She explained: "They can act how they want for as long as they want until we take action. It just seems very unjust."
A BT spokesman apologised for the delay but added that most broadband internet connection requests are "completed on time and without any difficulty."
"In this case there was a fault in the processing of the order, which resulted in a delay of about two weeks."
