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AIBU?

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Original poster

Train passengers refusing to move

346 replies

HolyGuac · 30/11/2019 11:00

Well, I'm really disappointed in the general public. AIBU to be shocked at the hard faced people in our sets refusing to move?

I booked train tickets and reserved seats about three months ago as we are having a special pre Christmas Day out with my two kids and husband.

Get on the train and the seat reservation numbers above the seats (the digital display ones are on the blink), it says from Euston...we are going to Euston, there are people in our seats who are refusing to move.

One said there's plenty of other seats, there are other seats but not in a table which is what i had booked.

We moved on found separate seats (two two's behind each other) I've been back to ask them nicely if they could move as there are no other table seats, this is a special trip etc etc they've flat out refused.
One said someone took Her seat which is why she moved to our seats, I asked why she couldn't have asked for them to move and got some blather about just taking any seat as the displays are not working!

I'm really disappointed by people today, what a bunch of arses. They are sat there knowing it's not their booked seats.
I would never take someone's seat like that.

OP posts:
changeforprivacy · 01/12/2019 19:59

Omg!!! I would have made them move seriously!!!! You reserved the seats prior, they are yours!!!

You are not understanding despite it being exposed many times in this thread.

The seats are not anybody's.

user1497207191 · 01/12/2019 20:07

All this nonsense about the reservation system “not working”.. if you have a ticket with a seat number on it, you have the reservation whether the system is “working” or not.

No, you're the one talking nonsense. If the reservation system isn't working, there are NO reservations, they're all invalid. Check the T&Cs - it's quite clear. Any passenger has as much right to any seat when the reservation system isn't working - the same right as someone with a (now cancelled) reservation.

Chocolate50 · 01/12/2019 20:14

Cheek I would've fought them for the seats. I've literally stood over people & created a scene getting people to move out of my seat so no yanbu!

changeforprivacy · 01/12/2019 20:29

I've literally stood over people & created a scene getting people to move out of my seat

Really?

AlexaAmbidextra · 01/12/2019 20:36

Had this problem once on the LNER service to Edinburgh a rather large lady aruged that I was in her seat and I wasnt, in fact when the grip, railway slang for ticker collector, cam along he had a job convincing her she had misread her ticket!

It did seem that she was illeraite!

Goodness me. Rather large as well as illiterate. Poor woman. Well I assume you mean illiterate? The irony.

Madein1995 · 01/12/2019 20:41

I don't see the issue really. I mean, if I'd booked seat and it was busy and a long journey then I'd insist they move. I have done. If there's plenty of seats available, I'll sit down

Re reserves seats I'll check the little card thing to see when the seat is reserved to and from. Eg yesterday, travelling back and seat had ticket from Aberystwyth to Wolverhampton. Only we were in Birmingham and the seat was clear, so I sat down. If its reserved from a station before mine then I presume no one is getting on and ill sit there. If I get on and the seat isn't reserved til after I leave then I sit. I hate asking people to move and only do it if it's a busy train and long journey. If there's lots of seats why make a fuss?

MargotMoon · 01/12/2019 20:42

@APerkyPumpkin I'm guessing you're also the kind of arsehole who refuses a polite request to move from someone whose seat you are sitting in?

Sweetpea55 · 01/12/2019 20:58

Betterversionofme
'and then I growled'. Really?

prh47bridge · 01/12/2019 21:00

Not moving needs to be a fineable offense in the way fare dodging is

It is. Someone sitting in a reserved seat and refusing to move can be fined up to £1000. They can also be thrown off the train. Railway staff can use reasonable force to remove them if they refuse to move.

WendyMoiraAngelaDarling · 01/12/2019 21:06

Slight problem with that. Even if the train is at the platform, they don’t unlock the doors until about five minutes before departure when there’s an almighty rugby scrum with everyone trying to get on at once.

That certainly wasn't the case yesterday on our return journey. We got on the train twenty minutes before. Still had problems with people in our seats though as I said.

purplebunny2012 · 01/12/2019 21:33

Was much easier when it was just a paper reservation-couldnt really argue about that

The precise reason most companies stopped doing that is because people could and would remove them

Mejom · 01/12/2019 21:49

I might fart at him lol if he does that

Northernsoulgirl45 · 01/12/2019 21:51

God if you were on a Virgin Train yesterday you were lucky to get a seat. We were crammed in like cattle in the shop with shutters down so no windows. It was horrendous. We were offered seat reservations but couldn't take them as unsure when we would be travelling.

Darbs76 · 01/12/2019 21:53

It’s annoying but when the system is down they make an announcement to say all seat reservations are cancelled. Someone might have been in there seats who wouldn’t move.

Darbs76 · 01/12/2019 22:00

Also it happens all the time. I travel by train a lot. Sure make a fuss and get upgraded if that’s your think, we just find another seat as if systems not working properly all reservations are cancelled. All part and parcel of travelling on our railways.

bigchris · 01/12/2019 22:01

Not what WAS disappointing was that of the whole train- and no not all the seats were reserved at all- not a single person offered to move for us despite the state we were in! That was until 2 school aged girls travelling with large musical instruments came and gave us their seats as they wanted to stay with their instruments= faith in humanity restored and all the selfish adults put to shame!!

What the ones who had booked and hadn't messed up the dates like you ? Why should they move ? It's not like getting a bus and getting up for a pregnant person if they had booked and paid for their seat especially !

bigchris · 01/12/2019 22:02

@51Northernsoulgirl45 just complain and get your money back

Northernsoulgirl45 · 01/12/2019 22:06

Thanks bigchris. May be worth a try. There was industrial action by other operator so they were unusually busy.

Ibizababyy · 01/12/2019 22:48

@bigchris nope I’m not that entitled which is why we immediately moved when they showed they had reserved our seats. If you actually read what I’d written a lot of the seats were NOT reserved at all, we had the misfortune to sit in ones that were but hadn’t been displayed as such. I’m talking about the rest of the adults who HADNT booked seats just as we hadn’t and left it to 2 14 year old girls who had reserved seats to help us. Clearly you aren’t the type of person who would give up their seat to someone elderly/ disabled/ pregnant. Hope you never end up in the position where you need someone to do the same for you!

Madein1995 · 01/12/2019 23:12

a poster your friend sounds a twat - I mean refusing to let people off the train, wtf? What's worse is the fact that you think that's a perfectly reasonable way to behave...

DdraigGoch · 02/12/2019 02:00

@Justaboy TGVs have compulsory reservations. If everyone has an allocated seat then no one will want to sit in another (anyone who tries tends to be fined heavily).

Hopefully we shall see similar with HS2. God know the extra capacity will be welcome. Small comfort to those waiting at signals for Platforms 13/14 at Manchester though.

Juliette20 · 02/12/2019 06:12

The display not working does not mean the seat reservation system isn't working, it means the display isn't working.

The only time the seat reservations aren't valid is when they put a different number of carriages on or there is no coach H or whatever, and they make an announcement to that effect.

Ok, so the person sitting there could not be expected to know the seat was reserved if the display isn't working, and should be asked politely to move, but it doesn't necessarily mean the whole reservation system is kaput, and if someone has reserved those seats, you have to move.

Devereux1 · 02/12/2019 07:28

See, I thought too it was only if the train manager had announced the reservations weren't active, not if all the displays/one display isn't working. Don't seem to have a final answer here about this. I'm also not sure on the original point of this thread which was the case.

spababe · 02/12/2019 08:34

Legally you are buying a journey and not a seat let alone a reserved seat. The only way around this would be for railways to operate airline-style where everyone has to have a reservation and seat number in advance. However, this is impossible because people expect a walk-on service and that if the train is cancelled they can get on the next one. Commuters catch the train they want if they leave work early or late and can't book in advance. Hence the train companies never know how many people will be on each train and reservations get suspended if anything untoward happens.

If someone is in your seat and won't move, you can't interfere with their possessions because you will be legally wrong and might just get chucked off the train. If you can get another seat you have done well and expecting an upgrade to First when other people in First have paid for the priviledge is being a CF. Having said that, I would have moved if I had your seat because I'm not that person.

Top tip is to look for reservations that have not been taken up eg the starting station has been passed already. Also NEVER stand in the vestible - it's the crumple zone if there is an accdent. Similarly, be quick in the loo.

Aposterhasnoname · 02/12/2019 09:19

@Madein1995 I’ve read my post three times now, and nowhere can I see me saying that the person was a friend, or that I approved of what they did.

Sort out your reading comprehension, making stuff up so you can be all outraged makes you look like the twat.

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