Virgin Trains. Pregnant. No seats.

[MindTheGap6]

Starting a whole new thread on this one!

Missed my train this morning due to delays. Got on the next train to London. Virgin train. No seats, 5 months pregnant, painful joints, very unsteady and uncomfortable. All seats booked apart from first class. Found conductor to see if he could find me a seat as I'm pregnant and unsteady. Was told no to sitting in a practically empty first class, and that I should get off the train and get a less busy one if I want a seat. Three members of staff currently on duty sat in first class (fine, but would've expected them to at least help me find a seat). Wasn't told about priority seats. Had to wait until a very kind woman spotted me and loudly said that she couldn't believe nobody allowed me to sit and that people should be ashamed (this is after I nearly fell over trying to pull my terribly uncomfortable maternity jeans up!). Originally had a seat booked but connection was delayed so missed it (whole other story!). Feeling frustrated and stupid.

AIBU to think that this is pretty poor form? Or do I need to suck it up and get on with it as 'being pregnant isn't an illness' as I've heard many times before on MN (prepared for that)

ut why not? Are there so many pregnant women on a single train that this could be a problem? Why can't pregnant women be allowed to sit in first class if there are no seats? I can't see a single reason why not. And plenty of reasons why it's a bloody good idea. Is it going to start some kind of riot of non-pregnant people protesting that pregnant women get special treatment? Is it?

This basically. I’m never going to be annoyed by a pregnant woman sitting in first class. Or anyone else who needs it either.

Pregnancy is not an illness.

Fat people don't get special treatment. Maybe someone thought you were just fat rather than pregnant. ;)

So 'unsteady and uncomfortable' at 5 months that you almost fall over pulling your jeans up?

You have four more months to go!!

You sound a little entitled, OP.

I didn’t say they shouldn’t have been kinder - but maybe she came across as bit irksome or entitled by requesting First Class instead of help getting a seat.

It would have been lovely if they offered. But I certainly feel less charitable if people demand things of me.

Appalling customer service. Please do complain

As someone else said, there really is no kindness anymore. It’s so sad

I had this issue at 7 months pregnant on a virgin train from London to Birmingham. I found a priority seat in the first class area and sat there (assuming priority meant for anyone). When the ticket man came round e asked to see my first class ticket which I didn’t have. He then proceeded to ask the middle aged men I was sitting with if they minded me being there. 3 of them said they weren’t happy as what do they pay their premium for, and I then had to pay the extra £40 for a first class ticket.

I was so humiliated and cried for the rest of the journey.

Bloody hell bumsquat. You couldn’t make that up.

Ugh, sounds horrible OP.
Similar happened to me last week, also 5 months pregnant. Except it was a Scotrail train and all the priority seats had elderly people in them who I couldn't reasonably ask to move. However when I found a conductor - intending to ask if there were free seats up the end of the train he was coming from - he immediately turned me around and escorted me to first class. I rant about Scotrail's generally poor service a lot but I was pleasantly surprised by this. Might have just got a nice conductor though.
You could tweet about it and compare it to a "friend's experience with a different operator"...

Their website actually states a policy that pregnant women are allowed to sit in first class with a 'mums-to-be' pass, so they do have this policy, I just don't have the card. I have a rather large baby bump but other than that, no evidence that I'm actually pregnant

Definitely get yourself a card. Should prevent the same situation from happening again.

So 'unsteady and uncomfortable' at 5 months that you almost fall over pulling your jeans up? hmm

You have four more months to go!!

This is pretty nasty and unfair. At five months pregnant I felt great - but some women really suffer at that point for whatever reason. All pregnancies are different, and so you can't tell her how she 'should' feel at five months.

If a pregnant woman has paid for a first class seat, would she be entitled to a refund if someone else lands in and uses the service for free because they too are pregnant?

@TitsalinaBumsquat
This makes me think it's time first class was done away with. How dare they! How very dare they?

To be fair to the staff a large proportion of passanfers on that train line are usually quite unpleasant. They probably just saw you as an extension of that. Most women would be able to stand a 5 months without issue so it wouldn't have been immediately apparent that you actually needed a seat.

Ive been upgraded for free to first class when there were no seats anywhere else... and I wasnt even pregnant!!
It sounds like you unfortunately had some bad/grumpy staff on the train..
I would complain... they should have found you somewhere to sit even if not first class then priority seating... they are a business not a charity so I really dont think they should treat customers that way 'to save money'... they should have found you a seat

If you missed your original train with a booked seat then you take your chances on another train. If you don’t have a booked seat then we all know that we might have to stand. This includes people with hidden disabilities.
You should have been given or asked for a priority seat.
You should not be automatically put in first class! Bloody hell. I’d get pregnant tomorrow and spend the next nine months on virgin rail if this was the case.

ITs crummy of them: complain and see if you can get an apology. I tended to just sit down on the floor if there were no seats, but I am bolshy!

NotTakenUsername sorry do well off people not have rowdy toddlers?

I have a rather large baby bump but other than that, no evidence that I'm actually pregnant

I know it makes me laugh. Obviously pregnant, but you need a piece of paper to prove it!

My view is that if there have been delays, they should make allowances.

I agree that on occasion people should wait for a less busy train, I am thinking of Woking station in rush hour when people squeeze onto 4 and 5 carriage trains even though a 12 carriage train will be turning up in a few minutes but Virgin trains don't run that often and if you've already missed one/had one cancelled/not been able to get on because it was too full what are you meant to do?

On SWR you need the MATB form to get a card, so 5 months might be too early to get it? It's ridiculous as you usually feel grotty in the first 12 weeks but can't get a card!

They don't need to re-write their policy they just need to apply a bit of common sense and a bit of kindness - letting even a dozen pregnant women on a packed train sit in empty first class seats isn't going to cause chaos. And frankly allowing elderly and disabled to do the same wouldn't be the end of the world - if they need seats and there are none in standard.
Or rather than cancelling services they could keep to the timetable AND provide additional carriages. If you've paid a fortune for a seat you should get one. It's not the same as the Tube and shouldn't be treated as such.
We need to expect a lot more from our rail companies.

On SWR you need the MATB form to get a card, so 5 months might be too early to get it?

You can get a MATB at your 20 week scan, so before 5 months.

I agree with you that some women need a seat in the first trimester, but the problem is there's no way at all of policing that - no visible sign, or written medical proof - so I can see why they don't want a policy that lets any woman of childbearing age claim a seat if she says she has morning sickness...

do well off people not have rowdy toddlers?

I don’t know - if I’m ever well off I’ll get back to you.

NotTaken
how would you know that" pregnant Janet and her two rowdy toddlers and crying 1 year old sitting opposite" hasn't also paid for the first class ticket? There is no correlation at all between pregnancy and having money to burn, nor between disposable income and rowdiness of offspring.

I fact some of the worst behaved children I've met were children of very, very wealthy British and American ex pats.

And im pregnant now and if I paid for a seat on a train id expect a seat on a train and if there were non in second class id find one in first and id sit in it and id get them told! You dont pay for train tickets to stand or sit on the floor and passengers shouldnt be at each others throats about seats.... these are businesses they arent state owned they should damn well actually look after their customers! If its entitled to want to be able to sit down on a long train journey when you are heavily pregnant then i guess im 'entitled'!!
FFS what is wrong with people now days?
Titsalinabumsquat what a horrible story! I hope those men felt like shit about themselves... if id have been nearby id have given them a talking to!!