People who don't sit in their own booked seats

[Badbadbunny]

Is it just me or is there an epidemic of this at the moment. Yesterday, went to a football match with family, booked seats a few weeks ago to get a decent view, easy access to toilets etc and for us to sit together. When we arrived, two pairs of people were sat in the middle of our booked seats and wouldn't move, we asked the stewards for help, but they couldn't get these people to move either, so we just ended up sat in someone elses' seats who weren't happy with us, but we just referred them back to the steward who wouldn't help us. Last weekend, at the cinema, we booked seats online beforehand, again reserved seats, but when we got in, again, someone else sat in our seats so we had to sit somewhere else. Midweek, went on a 3 hour train journey to London, booked our seats on the Virgin website weeks ago, again, when we got on, someone else sat in them, again, wouldn't move as the train was full, again, the guard wouldn't move them on, so we ended up split up on odd seats elsewhere. Since when have people become so inconsiderate and rude that they don't sit in their own seats, and won't move when the person with the valid ticket asks them to????

I once got on a very early train for a two hour journey with a 4&6yo in tow, to find two, assumingly still drunk from the night before, young men sat in them. They did move when asked, only to sit across the aisle talking and swearing and discussing a young lady they had became aquatinted with the evening before in very loud and vulgar terms. Luckily the children had headphones and managed to not overhear. Charming!

That obviously meant to say became acquainted with.

The best thing to do if the train is busy is head to first class and tell them you will move if they give you your booked seat. You are usually left alone.

No you are not. Twice recently I've seen people with standard tickets tried to cadge a seat in first class and they were swiftly shown the door, one couple didn't even make it into the carriage.

If someone sits on my hooked seat on the train I always go and sit in first class. When the ticket collector comes I tell him why and ask him to ask the passengers to move.

That is brilliant!

Happened to me on a very crowded train. A guy was in my booked seat and refused to move. Now I know what to do!

This happened to me and dd5 when we were returning home on the train, we went to our seat so and a man and his son were sitting there I politely said they were sitting in my seat and they feigned ignorance in the form of not speaking English, after 5 minutes I gave up and went to stand in the doorway then one other guy with his 2 sons let us sit in thier seats as they were getting off the next stop.
When the other guy and his son walked passed they didn’t realise I was sitting there and were speaking English... I just said so much for not speaking English. They got off the train at the same stop as the other guy.

Still, they got off at Doncaster, which is punishment enough

I have personally never had problems with people in our reserved seats on trains, I say "Excuse me, that's my seat" and they've always moved.
The only time that didn't work we got moved to first class after seeking assistance.
It's been a long time since someone has been in my seat, but they try to avoid the pendelinos like the plague (motion sickness)

I would have actually sat on their knees, not even joking. I can't stand entitled people! I would definitely not have sat somewhere else (even if there were loads of other seats) just out of principle. ..but I'm stubborn as a mule

Reminds me of the time my OH and I got on a train and found a woman in one of the seats we'd booked. We asked her to move and she did. Then we realised we'd got the wrong seats.

I'd grab their bag and catapult it down the train aisle

I once booked a window seat in the quiet coach from Newcastle to Edinburgh.
Not only did the CF in my window seat refuse to move, telling me the seat next to him was free, but he made several loud phone calls. He then had the cheek to ask if I had a problem when I kept giving him death stares.

I booked two seats , for myself and my very unwell 85 year old mother . Someone was in our seats and the train was full . My mother couldn't stand so was sitting on some luggage . I was so angry I stood in the carriage , mostly filled with middle aged " respectable " looking people and announced loudly what had happened . The guilty pair stared out of the window. So did most other people. A rather scruffy looking young man ( student?) stood up and said" I'm so sorry you have been treated like this" and gave mum his seat . Mum was annoyed that I had told everyone her age and the passengers avoided eye contact with me. But what a lovely young man . He left before I could thank him properly .

We had reserved and paid for 2 cricket tickets at ground. When we arrived late as train had been delayed, people were sitting in our seats. Dh said they were our seats and politely asked people to move but they said no. We went and told steward and he came and made them move. He told them he would get security to remove them from ground if they did not vacate our seats. They moved. Very helpful steward.

YANBU Get the manager of the stewards if they don't deal with it, then that persons manager etc up the chain. Make a fuss. Piss off the other people and in a loud way let it be known what they have done. If the people did not move demand a refund afterwards. Make a loud public fuss and the company will be more motivated to do something. Sit on their laps or stand over them and repeatedly ask them to move. I had a person at a cinema keep putting her foot on my shoulder by putting her feet up on the back of the seat. I discretely asked her to stop and when she did not I waited for a quiet spot and stood up and asked her to her face 'Why do you keep touching me. Stop touching me or I will call the police.' She stopped pronto.

Haven't read the whole thread, it should be incumbent on the organisation who you booked the tickets with to sort it out to your satisfaction. It's happened to me in the cinema, we produced our tickets which matched the seat number, the squatters moved. If they hadn't I would have asked the management to sort it out. You need to complain in an email if staff on the ground don't help you, that's what they are there for.

I'm reading some of the final posts on this page, as you say OP, when did people become so inconsiderate and rude

Interesting which football ground you went to.
At Villa Park the Stewards would automatically move the people - no question.
If they refused to move they would be ejected.

People complaining about people moving seats:
If Virgin actually let you book a forward facing seat and gave what you asked for, I wouldn't have to change my booked seat for a non-booked one. It's bad enough on a pendelino facing forwards, but I simply can't sit backwards on one, even if I take travel sickness pills.
So please appreciate how it is for us who seriously suffer travel sickness

I was recently on a crowded train on Amtrak, the US national rail service, with a business class ticket (better seat, more legroom, etc.). Business class is a separate car but there are no assignment to a particular seat.

I saw two types of CF's on this trip. Two blokes had coach class tickets but had plonked themselves down in business class. The conductor told them they had to find seats elsewhere. They started to argue. The conductor cut them off and told them that if they didn't move he'd radio ahead for the railway police to meet them at the next stop and have them arrested for theft of services. They shut up, took their belongings and left to find seats elsewhere.

A woman had a business class ticket, but for a different train that left later. She thought that since she had gotten to the station early she may as well get on the earlier train. The conductor explained to her that if she had a ticket for a particular flight, she couldn't go to the airport and wander onto another flight without changing her ticket. She got a bit pushy about it, but since this seemed more like an honest mistake he called Amtrak customer service on his cell phone and they were able to switch her since business class wasn't completely booked on this train.

I thought he handled both situations quite well. It's not easy dealing with entitled CF's.

One of our first holiday abroad together I had booked our seats. We had a window and middle seat. An older couple got on who hadn't booked seats together and were separated. The lady was behind us and the man 2 rows in front of us. He started to complain very loudly that him and his wife had been married for over 40 years and us youngsters should move. He called the steward over and was making his life hell. We had the aisle seat vacant. The steward asked if we would mind moving.
I said no as I am a nervous flyer and wanted my husband by me. I suggested that he moves into this empty seat as he will then be in front of his wife, or his wife move as she will be nearer to him. Steward informs his wife and she turned to husband and said ' shut up I'm glad of the peace and quiet so I can read'. He put his head down in embarrassment. It was so funny.

We booked and paid for 4 theatre seats. DS2 was performing but 1 seat was for him after he had done his stint. Another parent sat in ds2 seat without even asking DH if anyone was sitting there! We couldn’t believe the gall! Ds2 wasn’t there at that time so we didn’t say anything and then DH left for 2nd half so still a seat spare so not much point in telling the bloke to move bit still a cheek as he was sitting in a seat we’d paid for

I’ve moved people on before but also been too scared to confront so have been in both camps. Last time some lady had her bag in my seat and I asked her to move it. She then asked if I could sit opposite on the bank of 4. I said no as I wanted to sit forward facing and be on the aisle as I was very pregnant and wanted to stretch my legs (is why I booked the seat in the first place). She was most put out and was arguing that I could sit elsewhere. I just said I’d sit on her bag as I wasn’t prepared to be ousted from my booked seat for a bag and risk being chucked out of the seat my someone else who’d reserved the other one. She did eventually move but was rather loudly huffing for a while. I think she’d struggle if she was on a peak commuter train. She just seemed so astonished that her bag didn’t deserve its own seat.

I've been on all ends of this...

1. I have sat in places I shouldn't have. When the rightful owner comes I say sorry and leave. I know I'm in the wrong, so of course.
2. When I'm on the receiving end: I have sat on ppl, I have shouted at them, and anything in between. What I've never done: give up on it. (unless there was another perfectly good seat nearby)
3. Last year on a long haul flight I was on economy class. Wouldn't have minded, but the woman next to me had a baby and he was kicking me. As a parent I know that you can't tell a few months old baby not to kick, so didn't make a fuss, just cursed inward. That's life. After takeoff (30 mins or so) I did go to the business class (no reclining seats, just more room and bit more comfy chairs) where there were 2 rows full empty. So I sat down, put in headphones and slept until food time. Then a stewardess asked me to go back to my seat. Of course.

They messed up my food (gluten free, they forgot), no probs, wasn't really hungry and had chocolates. After everything was taken away from others I moved back to bc, where those 2 rows were still empty (obviously). Headphones, sleep.... An hour in another stewardess came up to me to ask me if my ticket was for here. I said no (no point in lying about this). Then asked me to move back. I told her the kicking baby and asked for my dinner. She came back 10 minutes later saying there was a mixup, no gf menu, but I should "feel free" to stay in bc until landing, but for landing will have to go back to my seat. I think it was a nice compromise. What I don't understand though is why does it hurt them if -on a plane- there are free seats someone sits there? I didn't ask for bc menu or anything extra. I wasn't paying for the extras, so never would think to get them. Not even for drinks. Nothing that I was not entitled to. But ffs those seats were empty, so why not use it?

1. Few months ago I was flying with my son (then 12yr old) on a Norwegian plane. It was quite a last minute flight, so I didn't have a chance to book seats. So the automated system sat us separately. It was 2,5 hrs so I was okay with it. He's a big boy, will be playing on his tablet. Once we boarded the steward held us back until everyone was seated (full plane) and then insisted to move others around so we can sit together as it is illegal for them to separate parent/child unless child is min. 14 yrs old. (system error on their side) He was nice about it tho. Explained in 2 sentences on the loudspeaker and asked if anyone would be willing to take our seat. There were at least 15 ppl volunteering. That was more than nice of them :) But I was red during this, as I would have been fine to only see my son from 3 rows down.

On French TGVs everyone has to book a seat but it always amazes me the number of people who seem unable to locate the right carriage -practically every time I travel I have to ask someone to move out of my booked seat. No point in me sitting elsewhere because then I will probably be in someone else's seat and have to move.... but I always triple check I have the right carriage before I start making a fuss - I find it useful to ask the surrounding passengers to confirm that we are in coach 11 .... and the usurper generally gets out their ticket and discovers that they should be in coach 12.
In Slovakia a friend and I had reserved 1st class seats and when we got into the 6 seater compartment we were joined by three very noisy young men who drank can after can of beer. It was supposed to be a "quiet" carriage so when the ticket inspector came round I asked him in English if they had 1st class tickets as they were disturbing us. they didn't: it transpired they were "mates" of the woman working in the neighbouring buffet car and they were supposed to be watching her 5 year old. So they were evicted and we watched the 5 year old (who was a little sweetheart: considerably less trouble than the "lads") and the employee brought us complimentary coffee and cake as a thank you.

I cant believe they don't get kicked out, at either a football ground or a cinema.

Similar but not quite the same - at a conference (where seats were "first come, first served") I was asked to move from the seat I was in to a seat two further down the row to allow a group of four to sit together in the seats between me and the aisle. But I have terrible eyesight and had purposely sat where I had enough light to see my notes... moving to the requested seat would have meant moving into a shadow. So I told them that I was prepared to move into the aisle seat so that they could sit together further along the row, but I wasn't moving out of the light. For some reason they decided to sit elsewhere.