CF sitting in our reserved seats

[Allthegoodusernamesareused]

We made them move, obviously, but now I'm getting death stares off one of them while they stand in the gangway of the rammed train. Apparently, they didn't think seat reservations were a "thing"

Awkward, long journey ahead!

They are CF to have the arse about being moved out of the seats though.

This sort of thing drives me mad. You have made a reservation it’s your seat! I have stopped using the trains due to passengers seated in my disabled reserved seat. At one time someone had settled nicely in with her sandwiches and flask of tea!!

As a regular train traveller I have to giggle at the reactions of some people when asked to move. Some people are so entitled.
I find it amusing when people are told to move their bags off seats. The fury!

On occasion I've had to travel without a reservation and if the train is full have chanced sitting in a reserved seat but have no issue moving should the owner turn up. It's quite common for people to have reservations on one train but catch another

I've never been lucky enough to be bumped to first class sadly!

Its so annoying. Me and oh went to a show on Friday we got there and someone was sat in our seats we were in the stalls and they were in the gallery I asked them to move and they refused saying they were in the right seats, they showed me their tickets and I told them their seats were in the next level up and again they refused to move all while my disabled oh was stood there leaning heavily on his stick obviously struggling to stand. I eventually found a member of staff who asked them to move which they did grumpily.

There were four of us once travelling (incredibly hungover) from London to Newcastle. We had pre-booked a table as a) we knew we'd be hungover so wanted to be able to put our heads down on the tables without disturbing anyone else and b) spread snacks on the table.

When we boarded a group of 4 of the most oddly dressed young lads I have ever seen were sat on our seats. When we asked them to move they kept trying to explain to us that they were a group of 4 who wanted to sit together....I mean, aye, same mate, that's why we booked those seats. They did eventually move after much arguing and pleading from them. Ended up sitting around us and stretching their legs across the aisle so blocking the path for people to and from the toilets and blasting music on their phones.
One of my mates got so pissed off with them he offered to help them stow their arses in the overhead luggage racks. Funnily enough they stopped after that.

Loudly shout “So glad I used my initiative and pre reserved seats, so easy to do, and means you don’t end up bitter and angry standing in the gangway.”

Which makes you look like a complete twunt, especially if they did reserve seats on a train that was then cancelled (which has happened to me many times). I know the OP said these people thought seat reservations weren't "a thing" but in general it's best not to start sounding off when you don't know the other people's circumstances.

True.

But it is always possible not sit in a seat that someone has managed to reserve.

This is a daft thread.

People sit in seats with reserved tickets on them all the time - half the time people who have reserved seats don't turn up or sit elsewhere on the train.

If you've reserved a seat and someone is in it you just show them your ticket and politely ask them to move.

It honestly isn't a big drama.

especially if they did reserve seats on a train that was then cancelled

Or if your previous train was late, meaning you missed your connection with the train that had your reserved seats and had no choice but to take a later one. Often end up having to stand in that situation. I wouldn't try to take someone else's reservation, but people in that scenario don't need others thinking they have superior planning skills when it is not the case.

Had this recently, booked a table seat, a family sitting in our seats. They showed me their booking and we checked ours, must have double booked, so we sat elsewhere.

Half way through the journey I noticed I’d mistakenly had our return tickets out when checking 🤭! There was someone else sitting at the much sought after table seat we should have been sitting on (same coach) but we just let it go. Lesson learned!

Well, someone should say that to these people who didn’t move when asked politely and instead remonstrated that seat reservations aren’t a thing and then followed up with dirty looks to OP’s party.

Why preach to the converted?

we caught the train on Friday and they’d basically double booked every seat. Was chaos

I always move when asked, and move people from my seat when necessary.
Don’t fall for the ad that says reservations guarantee a seat though - I recently reserved a seat on a train that was so busy I and other pre-booked passengers
couldn’t physically get on at all.

Oh OP I'm having flashbacks to the time some CFs stole our seats at an outdoor concert. It was the interval, our jackets were at our seats. Dh had gone to the bar and I'd nipped to the toilet. We came back to people sitting in our seats. Everyone nearby got involved in the ensuing discussion - on our side. Even people from three rows behind came down to support our case. Eventually the CFs moved complaining we had spoilt their night I really needed my G&T by the end of it.

You're right except that people get arsey and won't move.

What is really annoying is when you've booked a seat and then, as a pp mentioned, the carriage with your seat in it doesn't turn up and the train is full. It happened to my mum a few weeks ago when she was coming to visit me. Fortunately someone gave up their seat for her. The guard was unhelpful and wouldn't upgrade her to first class, even though she's elderly (this was Great Western - on the other hand, they did let me through the barriers to meet her).

Jolly good idea 🤣

Maybe it didn't happen but this did: I am disabled and cannot stand for long. I have severe balance problems too. I always reserve a seat if I can. On one journey a man refused to move out of my reserved seat. No other seats were a ailable.

It was a seat at a table so I carefully passed him his coffee cup to avoid knocking it over then sat on the table in front of him.

The ticket inspector came along and told me I couldn't sit there; so I explained that the man was refusing to move out of my reserved seat, and the issue with my disabilities. The ticket inspector soon moved him.

My fun train seats was I was sitting with DH and 2 GC when an angry woman marched up with her kids and demanded we move as they were her seats. No being polite or anything like that. I told her I was sure they were my reserved seats. No she was adamant and got her ticket out to show me they were her seats, number 21, 22, 23 and 24 (or something like that) I agreed they were the seat numbers but that we were in carriage D not carriage C. She looked like she was going to hit me and then marched off. No apology or anything.

My other fun one was at a sporting event I'd taken my kids to. There was obviously some mix up as we were sitting in our seats when a couple with a child came up and told us to get out of their seats. Again nothing polite. Attendant came up and checked and we both had legitimate tickets for those seats. They were making such a scene I agreed to move as the attendant was getting stressed trying to deal with them. We then got moved to sit court side with the players families, my kids got taken on to have a go with the professionals and had photos taken and given some kit. I have always wondered what they thought about that. I'd love to have seen their faces.

Very embarrassing for THEM.
The whole carriage now know they are real CF.

Why are you embarrassed for them? Just ignore them and enjoy your trip.

Yep, was just coming on to say I was on an Avanti route recently and the table across from me had seats that had been double and, in one case, triple booked for the seat reservations. Lots of grumpy people!

I couldn’t get wound up about this, people sit in reserved seats all the time as others have said, half the time the people who have reserved them don’t turn up. To be honest with the state of the trains at the moment I would be grateful to be getting from A to B at all. You can’t always reserve a seat for example my completed makes us book tickets through the Trainline business account, if they are open returns you cannot book even with the operator as the ticket was bought through trainline.

Also dubious of anyone who thinks they’re being given ‘death stares’, perhaps that’s just how you have interpreted it. The poster suggesting you should text the BTP over it is absolutely ridiculous.

a lot of double and triple booking are not double or triple booking but because they remove trains from service after taking bookings. Means the train is overcrowded. Often in this situation one of two things will happen (but not always) they will suspend reservations or they will announce that the train is the replacement for x service. X service is the ones which then have the valid reservations.

One Avanti driver when on way back from commonwealth games basically came over the tannoy and apologised to being overcrowded but they wont have young kids crammed in the vestibule ends and said all reservations were cancelled and can people make room before he moved the train. Much respect to him

It usually tells you what first and last stations the reserved seats are booked for. Nothing wrong in sitting in the seats until they get to the first reserved stop but always assume you’re going to get kicked off by the reservers and I’d never dream
of refusing to move.

If this was LNER you can get a refund for that through their Seat Guarantee Scheme - definitely worth doing. I’m not sure if other services have similar schemes.

I've had this, reserved 3 seats for myself and DD's as teens but one is autistic, family sat in our seats refusing to move saying they needed them, guard refused to help because they had kids! Thankfully a kind couple gave up their seats so my DD's could sit, I stood ... emt did a very flaky apology when I complained. There's no rule that said kids can sit over adults!