To ask someone sitting in my reserved seat on a train to move?

[walterwhitesgf]

Yesterday I boarded my train home, which was full and found someone in my reserved seat. Not unusual in itself .There were two young women, obviously together in the pair of seats, one of which was mine, the window seat. I said 'I'm sorry I think you are in my seat ' to the one in my seat . Much eye rolling and huffing on her part and she said snappily 'well you may have a reserved seat but in which coach? I replied 'in this one, Coach C '. More huffing but she did start to get up and squeezed out past her her friend in the aisle seat. She didn't get up for me to get into my seat just turned sideways and indicated I should just squeeze past. Anyone who travels by train will know its almost impossible to do that so I had to ask the young woman to get up so I could take my seat. She was very unhappy about it and they both started moaning about having to move again. Then someone else came along who had reserved the seat next to me i.e. the one the second young woman was settling herself back down in. You can imagine the result ... she did move for this man but was very very unhappy about doing so. Anyway the reason I am posting is , a few minutes later I overheard a man saying to his partner that he didn't think we should have asked them to move as they were settled in their seats. His partner disagreed . All the seats have a display which indicates if the seats are reserved or not and from which station to which destination, so these young women knew they were in a seat that someone else had reserved. I have never felt bad before about asking someone to move but the overheard conversation made me feel uncomfortable , I am not sure why. Minor wrinkle in a day I know I just wondered what other people felt

[YUDOTHIS]

YANBU. You paid to reserve a seat so you should bloody well sit in it!

[WellErrr]

Yanbu

[Heels99]

I would have asked them to move unless there was another spare seat nearby I could have sat in. I sit in reserved seats sometimes and always expect to move but very often the person doesn't actually get on the train.

[HarpyFishwifeTwat]

You were definitely right to ask them to move. I can't stand when people get huffy when asked to move, if they wanted to sit together they should have booked their own seats.

[SycamoreMum]

No you were right to move them along. I absolutely hated when people were in the seat I had paid to be reserved. They can see the tickets say reserved. You did the right thing high fives

[FrozenAteMyDaughter]

YANBU. If you have reserved a seat, then you should be able to sit in it. I would have asked them to move too.

Presumably, reserving seats is an option open to everyone and they could have reserved seats themselves if they had wanted to/been more organised.

[WorraLiberty]

YANBU but then again you must know that

I'm surprised you think you might BU.

[ouryve]

YWNBU.

It's not as if they can't see that the seat is reserved for part of their journey when they chose it. They were just being arseholes.

[ValancyJane]

Totally right to ask them to move for you. Once or twice I've travelled without reserving a seat (no option to do so) and I've sat in a reserved seat when the carriage has been packed and no-one has initially claimed it, but I've always been fully prepared to move in that situation as it wasn't my seat!

[Justmuddlingalong]

The huffier they get when I ask them to move, the better! I sit down with an 'Ahhh, smashing' type sigh. My reservation, my seat.

[BlackBettyBamALam]

YADNBU, I would have asked her to move too.

[JohnCusacksWife]

YANBU...can't think why you would even think that you were?

[MsDragons]

YANBU. When you've reserved a seat then that's the seat you expect to sit in.

I've occasionally sat in a reserved seat but I fully expect to be asked to move when the reserver gets on. I only ever do that if the train is full and the seat's only reserved from a station further on.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

Don't feel bad.
I don't understand the logic in the overheard conversation.

You make an arrangement you expect to be able to carry it through without being shifted by people who throw a strop at being asked (politely) to allow you to do so.

[SycamoreMum]

Justmuddlingalong Thats exactly I used to do and throw in a 'Oh this is cosy, good choice!'

[TurquoiseDress]

YANBU!

Some people just have no shame!
Sometimes I sit in a seat that has been reserved, when the person arrives I get up and let them have the seat with good grace.

Although, I was once taking a busy Friday evening train out of London- a man was sat in my reserved seat.
He refused to move- finally he let me see his ticket and we indeed both had the same seat reserved.
Thanks Virgin trains.

He was very miserable about the whole thing though and clearly thought I was trying it on.

All I could think was how grateful I was not to have to do that kind of commute each, not if it made me anything like that miserable git!

[Justmuddlingalong]

[TurquoiseDress]

Try not to worry about the overheard conversation.

He was probably just put out that he didn't have a reserved seat and there were none left to nab.
You were meant to hear the conversation and it's intention was to make you feel bad about your entirely legitimate and reasonable behaviour.

[walterwhitesgf]

I don't really think I am being unreasonable Worra, but overhearing that someone else thought I was made me wonder what others think. I often have to ask someone to move out of my seat as the train is often full, hence the reason I reserve a seat. I have an hour long journey and I don't want to stand all that time. Lots of people reserve seats on my journey and I often witness a tussle when people already sat in the seats don't want to move, but its the first time I have ever had a problem.

[FrozenAteMyDaughter]

A tussle? Really? When someone else legitimately has a seat booked? Some people are so unreasonable! (Which, I suppose, is why AIBU can be such a bunfight sometimes )

[MadAboutMathsMum]

Definitely not unreasonable. When travelling on an advance ticket that is only valid with a reservation I have been asked by the guard to also show the reservation slip and show I am sat in the correct seat.

[chipshop]

You absolutely did the right thing. I have no qualms about asking people to move (I only ask if it I particularly want my reserved seat, powerpoint etc, or if the train's full). If they get huffy then I feel particularly happy about shifting them.

[Ghostlife]

Yanbu

[walterwhitesgf]

Thanks you lot :) I was starting to feel anxious about the journey home ( I know I am a pathetic wimp ) . You are probably right Turquoise I was meant to hear the comment , but I cant really see why this man thought it was wrong for me to move someone who appeared perfectly fit and healthy and able to either find another seat or stand til one became free. A pregnant woman or a disabled person would have been another matter.

[muminhants1]

A pregnant woman or a disabled person would have been another matter.

They still shouldn't be in a reserved seat that isn't reserved for them. In that case, the guard should find them another seat, in first class if needsbe.