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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not give up my seat?

308 replies

bottomfellout · 24/06/2019 11:43

Currently in the middle of a 5 hour train journey with my 7yo. We got on at the first station and will be getting off 3 stops before final station. We are sat in our reserved seats, confirmation on the little display above our heads saying reserved from our starting and finishing stations.

At the last station 20 minutes ago a man got on and said ‘you’re in my seat’ and started to move my bags. I told him I wasn’t, grabbed my bag, showed him my ticket and the seat display. He showed me his ticket and he’s also reserved for the same seat. I told him he should go and find the guard, that there are plenty of free seats (although don’t know if they’re reserved).

He won’t go and find the guard, he wants his seat. He’s now standing right next to me (probably watching me type), having just had a loud phone call (which I’m pretty sure was imaginary as we went through a tunnel) about how he can’t prepare for the presentation as a stuck up bitch won’t move out of his seat. He’s huffing and sighing and I’m wondering whether he’ll stay standing over me for the next 2.5 hours.

I don’t want ds to hear this bloke being a prick but I really don’t see why I should move. Ds is currently plugged into his iPad so hasn’t noticed.

OP posts:
needsomesleepy · 25/06/2019 17:32

Bloody hell, I hope OP isn't still on the train Confused

ScreamingValenta · 25/06/2019 17:33

Feelingwalkedover Op posted this yesterday lunchtime, so one would hope she has by now reached her destination and left the train, although admittedly, with the sort of delays our trains sometimes have, you could be forgiven for thinking she might still be travelling! Grin

Sacredspace · 25/06/2019 17:37

What a gentleman..

purplebunny2012 · 25/06/2019 17:38

YANBU. When there is a double booking the 2nd person on should be getting the staff. They will likely put him in 1st class, so he's only doing himself out of a better seat.
Plus, he's on his own and you aren't

EllenMP · 25/06/2019 17:38

Use this form and say a crime is happening RIGHT now. www.btp.police.uk/reportcrime/default.aspx

This man has handled your possessions, used foul language in front of your child and been aggressive and threatening towards you. Stay in your seat and report him. I'm sure someone will come along and take care of it.

It's not your fault and you mustn't let him get away with it. And the rail company needs to acknowledge their problem.

CassianAndor · 25/06/2019 17:41

this was YESTERDAY, people!

Mikki77 · 25/06/2019 17:41

Sorry didnt see their last night. Next time call 111 the police's non urgent number and tell them you feel threatened. Hope you're not to shaken up.

ddl1 · 25/06/2019 17:47

YANBU. If he were disabled, or had suddenly taken ill, it might be a different matter. But if it's just because he's got a presentation - well, that's the sort of thing you know in advance, so he could have made sure to finish preparing it before the journey (as we all had to do before laptops existed), or booked a train seat in advance. There is a saying 'Your lack of planning does not constitute my emergency', and it applies here! He sounds thoroughly entitled.

tillytrotter1 · 25/06/2019 17:49

Happened to us in Italy, we had booked the two facing window seats, we were there early and a family got on later, old dear complaining to the sons about wanting to sit there. They told us to move in Italian, I assume, then English. I went into German mode, Was ist los? which threw them. Eventually they got the guard along who confirmed the seating, they were not happy all the way from Venice to Florence, especially as we then reverted to English.

BitOfFun · 25/06/2019 17:51

Please don't diagnose somebody as autistic just because they are being a stubborn prick.

tomboytown · 25/06/2019 17:52

I did this recently
Turns out I was looking at the return leg of my journey!

emkoda · 25/06/2019 17:57

Was it Jeremy Corbyn? He's got form for this sort of thing...

karalou2 · 25/06/2019 17:59

Report him to the rail company. If he booked a seat, they'll have his details.

LovelyJubblee · 25/06/2019 18:00

I'm a season ticket holder for football and this man and his teenage son insisted I was in their seats - it's been 'our' seats for 8 years. I started to doubt myself for a while! Anyway he pulls out his season ticket which he had borrowed from a friend and turns out he was in completely the wrong block but with same row and seat number. Arse.

Bugbabe1970 · 25/06/2019 18:01

I’d ring 101 and report him for being aggressive

SarahPickles · 25/06/2019 18:05

absolutely you should do this:

If he continues shout loudly for help- “HELP. we are being bullied by this man, can someone get the guard Scream if necessary." ~~~~

The guard is paid a very handsome wage to sort out this kind of thing.

ToftyAC · 25/06/2019 18:05

What an arse. Hope the rest of the journey was uneventful OP.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 25/06/2019 18:13

Are you on a Virgin train? Is this man actually Jeremy Corbyn?

Possibly.

Boris Johnson would just have plonked his fat arse on her.

pinkstripeycat · 25/06/2019 18:13

EleanorReally

Everyone was being very British, apart from this man by the sound of things.

No they weren’t. No one was shouting and yelling and sticking their noses in. That’s the Brit way these days. The old reserved way is waaaaaay old now. No one does that anymore

Zoejj77 · 25/06/2019 18:14

The moment he referred to you as a bitch he lost his right to be treated reasonably - he can sit on the floor

Bishalisha · 25/06/2019 18:18

Can you imagine if you were the person he was presenting to when he arrived at his destination Grin

I was on a train from Birmingham to London Euston a few months ago on my way back from a business trip. I looked about 15 in my winter coat, tights and trainers (had changed shoes!) and got on the train. There was a man sitting in my seat so I told him he was in my seat. The reserved sign wasn’t on for some reason (def the right train, fare, time, carriage, seat etc) and he started to get up but the woman opposite (who didn’t know him) was trying to stop him, ask him to check my ticket, insist there must be a mistake etc Confused

GiantKitten · 25/06/2019 18:19

@SilverySurfer
Are you sure it's not Jeremy Corbyn? He sat on the floor of a train, despite there being several empty seats, while he bleated that trains needed to be renationalised. Of course he moved to one of the seats once the photograph had been taken. Arse.

You should know that's not even close to what actually happened Hmm

SchadenfreudePersonified · 25/06/2019 18:19

A dog walked over him a few minutes ago.

This is just joyous!

purplebunny2012 · 25/06/2019 18:20

a man came on & asked if he could use my charger which he could well see I was using. I said ah no, I'm using it. He went over all softly sarcastic, 'oh you're using it are you', and then launched into an impassioned spiel about how he really needed it (he didn't)

How bloody entitled!

riceuten · 25/06/2019 18:20

If I was the bloke, I would have fetched the guard. If I was you, I would have stayed put. There's obviously been a mistake, and the guard would be best placed to sort it out. I've gone and sat in first class when the guard went missing over a seat dispute (where the moron sitting there DIDN'T have a reservation or even a ticket) - he found me soon enough then...