diff --git a/ant-networking/src/driver.rs b/ant-networking/src/driver.rs
index 4534b49110..bb1637a099 100644
--- a/ant-networking/src/driver.rs
+++ b/ant-networking/src/driver.rs
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ const PERIODIC_KAD_BOOTSTRAP_INTERVAL_MAX_S: u64 = 21600;
 
 // Init during compilation, instead of runtime error that should never happen
 // Option<T>::expect will be stabilised as const in the future (https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/67441)
-const REPLICATION_FACTOR: NonZeroUsize = match NonZeroUsize::new(CLOSE_GROUP_SIZE) {
+const REPLICATION_FACTOR: NonZeroUsize = match NonZeroUsize::new(CLOSE_GROUP_SIZE + 2) {
     Some(v) => v,
     None => panic!("CLOSE_GROUP_SIZE should not be zero"),
 };
diff --git a/ant-networking/src/lib.rs b/ant-networking/src/lib.rs
index 434aa192ad..fca47f18d0 100644
--- a/ant-networking/src/lib.rs
+++ b/ant-networking/src/lib.rs
@@ -387,6 +387,10 @@ impl Network {
             .await?;
         // Filter out results from the ignored peers.
         close_nodes.retain(|peer_id| !ignore_peers.contains(peer_id));
+        info!(
+            "For record {record_address:?} quoting {} nodes. ignore_peers is {ignore_peers:?}",
+            close_nodes.len()
+        );
 
         if close_nodes.is_empty() {
             error!("Can't get store_cost of {record_address:?}, as all close_nodes are ignored");
diff --git a/autonomi/src/client/quote.rs b/autonomi/src/client/quote.rs
index 9794f165d7..38dfd7f6fd 100644
--- a/autonomi/src/client/quote.rs
+++ b/autonomi/src/client/quote.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use crate::client::rate_limiter::RateLimiter;
 use ant_evm::payment_vault::get_market_price;
 use ant_evm::{Amount, EvmNetwork, PaymentQuote, QuotePayment, QuotingMetrics};
 use ant_networking::{Network, NetworkError};
-use ant_protocol::{storage::ChunkAddress, NetworkAddress};
+use ant_protocol::{storage::ChunkAddress, NetworkAddress, CLOSE_GROUP_SIZE};
 use libp2p::PeerId;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use xor_name::XorName;
@@ -159,6 +159,14 @@ async fn fetch_store_quote_with_retries(
     loop {
         match fetch_store_quote(network, content_addr).await {
             Ok(quote) => {
+                if quote.len() < CLOSE_GROUP_SIZE {
+                    retries += 1;
+                    error!("Error while fetching store quote: not enough quotes ({}/{CLOSE_GROUP_SIZE}), retry #{retries}, quotes {quote:?}",
+                        quote.len());
+                    if retries > 2 {
+                        break Err(CostError::CouldNotGetStoreQuote(content_addr));
+                    }
+                }
                 break Ok((content_addr, quote));
             }
             Err(err) if retries < 2 => {
@@ -172,6 +180,9 @@ async fn fetch_store_quote_with_retries(
                 break Err(CostError::CouldNotGetStoreQuote(content_addr));
             }
         }
+        // Shall have a sleep between retries to avoid choking the network.
+        // This shall be rare to happen though.
+        std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(5));
     }
 }