What is happening to common sense in the world of acedemia these days?

This morning I had a call from a post graduate student studying Environmental Science at Manchester University. Believe it or not, he wanted a price for a 1000M3 septic tank for a sewage treatment facility that he has designed! I tried to tell him that no such tank existed as the maximum number of people that a septic tank is allowed to serve is 15, which equates to a 4.7M3 tank.
I also tried to explain to him that you couldn't fit such a tank onto a lorry for transporting it to site as it would be approximately 11M X 2M X 33M and would be too big even for all lanes on the M1.

He then told me that we were obviously not the right company to help him in his quest!!

How has this man got a degree in the first place?? I give up!!!