A TRAIN company has processed more than £1.5million in refunds since lockdown began.

Rail firm c2c has urged customers to be patient when applying and receiving refunds for cancelled train journeys and season tickets.

The firm is running a significantly reduced timetable of trains between Shoebury and London Fenchurch Street due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The firm has pleaded for patience as many customers have been sharing their frustrations online for a lack of communication about when they will receive their refund.

Ian Foster wrote on Facebook: “I have been waiting since February 21 for a refund for a change of route ticket.

“I have phoned four times and made various posts on here yet nobody can tell me what is going on.”

Another c2c customer, who did not wish to be named, told the Echo: “I’ve been waiting 40 days. They are now not answering the phone or acknowledging any email I send.

“Where is this refund. If its processed then the worst case Is five working days. That is now well and gone. Shambolic.”

A c2c spokesman said: “We originally processed this customer’s refund on April 11, but the transaction failed.

“Our finance team investigated the issue with our acquirer, the financial institution who handle card payments, and the payment was reprocessed earlier this week.

“We’ve had confirmation the money has been paid by our acquirer to the customer’s bank, so he will receive his money when they release it to their account.

“Our team has processed over £1.5m of refunds so far.

“We know customers need their refunds, and we ask for their patience while we process an unprecedented number of refunds.

“This is while our team are having to operate with restrictions like everyone else.

“The Government has extended the timescale for us to process refunds from the standard 28 days to 56 days and we are still working within those timescales.

“Thank you to everyone for their patience and understanding while we handle your request in these challenging circumstances.”

More information on refunds can be found on c2c’s website at www.c2c-online.co.uk.