AIBU to ask who was right in this situation... Couple refused to move for a 'mum' and her 3 children on the train. (When the mum had reserved the seats.)

[FreshWinterMorning]

Just that really. Whose side are you on here?

I won't say much yet as I don't want to skew the poll results.

So pick YABU if you think the mum is in the wrong.

And pick YANBU if you think the couple is in the wrong.

Thank you for participating.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7602911/Furious-mother-three-slams-elderly-couple-refusing-seats-reserved.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR0C3fJhfMxidfTyOfm8wJ2C7v7st2ZgeCZi3aDr8YlabYhoaoMWM_lI_Ik

no matter who is in the wrong or the right - posting photos all over the interwebs is very silly and shows the mothers lack of critical thinking skills.

I wouldn't invite any of them to a tea party that's for sure.

I'm not a fan of the daily mail (after brexit I don't read any one paper, and deliberately read various papers to get a broader understanding and not get sucked into an echo chamber) but this is a ridiculous comment. Do you still think there's anyone still working there who was there in the 1930s? Pretty much all newspapers have been on 'the wrong side of history' at some point - the guardian published a feature outlining the times it did just that - i.e. supporting martial law in ireland and condemning the suffragettes....

They should have booked or asked someone nicely, in the designated priority seats at the other end of the train, to give up their seat for them. The couple ignored the priority seats and ambled down to secure a table much further down the train.

Some children f us remember when this story was everywhere and because people found out who the couple were and was stalking family on FB etc a few newspapers went into detail about what really happened. No reservations stood because there had been multiple cancellations and re-routing of passengers. There was absolutely no need for this woman to put the couple's picture everywhere and direct the amount of hate that she did towards them. The guard sorted it out.

I wouldn't take pictures or God forbid go to the Mail.

Haven't clicked on the Mail link, I'm afraid.

However, I would be keen to have seats with my kids on a crowded train.

I have a DC who is neurodivergent and I would want my children sitting with me, with a view to their safety generally. So I would reserve seats and I would expect that to be honoured.

No reason why elderly people can't also reserve seats; and if they are in need of seats maybe the railway could bump them up to 1st?y

Funny enough, I also had the experience of someone trying to occupy my pre booked Eurostar seats.

The mum ended up with four first class tickets so she ended up ok. No need to take photos of the old couple and share them with the Daily Mail.

The couple should have moved but it sounds like the 'outraged mum' escalated it unnecessarily especially when she ended up with better seats anyway.

The couple and the mum and kids had all booked seats. The couple’s train was cancelled and they were told to get the next train, where all seat reservations had been cancelled. The couple sat down. The mum and kids got on at a later stop to find the couple in “their” seats. But there were no seat reservations on this train.

You would be pretty pissed off if someone were sent flying (my balance isn't great, especially when in pain from being forced to stand, for example) and landed on him, though. Or if you were then stuck for hours waiting for the ambulance to get to them - although I suppose at least you'd have the seat.

And I'm not even that old.

However, most people have been pretty reasonable on trains. Except for the long distance ones where a service has been cancelled - the number of massive suitcases that have required their own seats is ridiculous (and no way of actually getting to a guard due to the aisles being equally filled with the skips on wheels). Wasn't really a fan of having to sit for four hours on the floor in the doorway, tbh. Especially as I couldn't get up at the end for pain.

How do you know any of this?

The old couple are probably in their graves by now anyway.

I just hope they didn't get plots reserved for other people.

I agree about the suitcases. We were on a train a few weeks ago that was really busy,the cases were piled high and DH got hit by one flying off the luggage rack. The aisles were full of cases.

I think there should be a maximum size and number of cases as the way it is makes it dangerous and uncomfortable for other people.

She reserved the seats, being elderly does not mean you are the most important person/people in the room. You don’t get to steal on the basis that you qualify for a state pension.

Conductors don't have an easy job and clearly will be trained to avoid conflict, however they will also be expected to honour reservations.

Oldies in the wrong!

I've been told, not asked, to move from my reserved seat on two trains. First one we were a family of 4 and had booked the table seats. Aggressive woman tells us to move as they are her seats. I smiled and told her they were our seats and I had the reservations. Not to be outdone she produced her seat reservations and sure enough we both had something like seats 23, 24, 25 and 26. Only problem was hers were in carriage D and we happened to be in carriage C. Needless to say she didn't apologise.

The other one I was travelling with two GC and couldn't get 3 seats together, the lady in the booking office kindly got them 2 seats together and I was 2 rows behind on the aisle seat on the opposite side so I could see if WW3 broke out and they tried murdering each other. Woman arrived who had booked the window seat next to me and told me to move over. I said no and explained why I needed to sit there. She said she needed the seat but I don't know why. I sympathised and said it was unfortunate but it was my seat and I was sitting in it. She looked as if she was going to hit me and someone grabbed her and moved her on, I think it was a friend of hers but it wasn't clear.

People get very strange about train seats.

I bit, and clicked the link. Commenters to the DF said the cancellation of the previous train and, therefore, the cancellation of reservations throughout this train was well known locally.

Can you post a link?

It sounds like hearsay tbh.

I’m not sure they would have been given first class seats if they were in the wrong, usually you’re told to just stand.

For Amanda, her tweets were not intended as an attack against the obstinate couple - "I'm sure they're lovely, they just made the wrong decision."

Instead, she says she wants to highlight "bad behaviour".

"I would always try to do what is fair," she adds. "You have nothing to lose by speaking out if you're in the right and call people out on their behaviour.

Amanda sounds a bit of a disingenuous twat, tbf. If she think they are lovely and just made the wrong decision, why shame them publicly?

She is relying on people not getting the elderly’s couple side of the story, and there are always 3 sides to every story.

Well the mum and kids weren’t necessarily wrong either if the reservations got cancelled, unfortunately in those situations it becomes first come first served.

So maybe they should reserve their own seats then?

Mum has let herself down by making out that them speaking in a "posh" voice has shit all to do with it

Maybe they did, or maybe there were none available.

If that was the last available seat, I would put my disabled mum in the seat even if it was reserved. My mum‘s safety trumps all.

out of morals and kindness then i would let the couple sit in the seats.

in terms of the customer purchasing a service with the reservations then the family was correct.

Couple is in the wrong.

Glad the family got moved to first class

Excellent DM ‘sad face’ pics: those kids will go far.