To not give up my seat?

[bottomfellout]

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.

The dog is the hero in this story. When even the dog thinks you’re a bellend for sitting on the floor, it’s really time to move.

I hope you’re still going to report him OP.

jaques wtaf? She mistook the table for a meeting room she'd booked! As if sound doesn't carry through the free space of a carriage.

What a total idiot!

M3lon

I know. Totally bonkers.

She spent the rest of the journey sighing and ostentatiously turning her screen away from me .

We sat in reserved seats as our train was cancelled. Anyway an hour in to the journey this man comes up to me and just keeps repeating the seat number to me. '25, seat 25, look 25' he refused to make eye contact and was so rude. I just said oh I'm in your seat okay I shall move. He just repeated "25" seat 25. And looked at the seat number. Very happy to move, but it would have been nice to be asked! Anyway, totally irrelevant but just sharing stories of how strange people can be.

I think you were ruder for sitting in his seat in the first place.

I lived in the UK during the 50's, 60's and very early 70's. I traveled on trains quite a bit and men would not treat a woman like that back then. I'm shocked actually. If a woman walked into a crowded train carriage, bus or even a tube, men would often times offer her their seat. Although there wasn't reservations back then or equal rights.

Now men want to duke it out with the women it seams like.

He's a twat because there were plenty of available seats.

This is on Virgin and you were travelling with a child. He can move somewhere else and complain to them.

She actually wanted me to move out of my reserved seat so she and her colleagues could have a Confidential Meeting

This is hilarious. Who the hell expects to have a Confidential Meeting on a train? Did you earwig JacquesHammer?

"If a woman walked into a crowded train carriage, bus or even a tube, men would often times offer her their seat"

I don't need that, either, perfectly able to stand despite my frail womanly legs, but I also don't need someone being a dick to me. Guaranteed he wouldn't act like that to a big rugby playing bloke.

"We sat in reserved seats as our train was cancelled. Anyway an hour in to the journey this man comes up to me and just keeps repeating the seat number to me. '25, seat 25, look 25' he refused to make eye contact and was so rude. I just said oh I'm in your seat okay I shall move. He just repeated "25" seat 25. And looked at the seat number. Very happy to move, but it would have been nice to be asked! Anyway, totally irrelevant but just sharing stories of how strange people can be."

Honestly, and I know that everyone is going to roll their eyes, but the lack of eye contact and the repetitive speech makes me think that he was possibly autistic.

Did you earwig JacquesHammer?

I kept pretending to glance at her notebook. Made the journey go swimmingly!

Looking forward to an update. Would be funny if guard/transport police forcibly remove him, followed by cheers and a round of applause from all the other passengers. Plus it would be great if it gets filmed by someone and uploaded on YT.

Nine times out of ten the problem is that one person has a reservation for a different train. Happens a lot on Virgin where you can get peak and off-peak tickets that can be used on any train. People just forget but my guess is the man that approached OP knew and was trying it on anyway.

I've seen this happen and an angry row ensued. It does happen. Not sure how they get double booked though

I have sat in reserved seats before now - usually once the station of boarding is passed. So many people don't turn up for booked seats or miss trains I am not going to stand when there are seats empty but happy to move etc. Sometimes I just take the risk if the reserved station isn't for a while and sit whilst I can

Cross Country's Twitter people are really helpful (as are GWR's).

Just in case you are returning OP, Cross Country have a very clever system whereby you are able to reserve seats until 10 minutes before a train leaves the station.

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/tickets/ten-minute-reservations

FWIW, if it was my journey on the "reserved" sign I would have stayed put, but I would have moved if it had been grumpy man's.

What would you do if you turned up to a very crowded train and there was an elderly person sitting in your reserved seat? Knowing both that 1) they could have booked in advance like you, but didn't and 2) if you turf them out they'll have nowhere to sit. (Happened to me)

MLMsuperfan depends how long the journey is, ultimately I’d probably have to ask the guard to find one of us another seat even if in first class

MLMsuperfan, sorry but I would ask them to move but my circumstances are probably a little different in that I have a disability and can't stand for long periods. I have to use the train a lot for work and always book a seat in advance.

Pity the dog didn't pee on him!

The first lot claimed that they were just using the table to eat their lunch what on earth goes through people's heads?

More than once I've headed to my booked seat on a train to find someone in it, told them politely that this was my seat and been met with a baffled gaze and a 'Do you want to sit here?'

Er, yes, it being my seat.

People are freaks.

I asked people to move from my reserved seat - which they did. Then after we sat down realised that our seats were booked for the return journey - not the outward journey

oranges he sounds autistic to be honest.

MLMsuperfan It would depend how long my journey was. Up to an hour, I would probably just stand. Longer than that, I'd have a word with the train manager assuming I could find him/her. I'd hope they might bump the elderly person to First Class!

Just to add, most journeys I make have stations at which the train always empties (e.g. Birmingham NS) so if I was within an hour of one of those stations, I'd stand, being fairly confident I could grab another seat even if the elderly person didn't get off.

What train are you on op? One of us Mumsnet tears could be on the same one and come and help you / alert the guard ...