AIBU… Genuine mistake

[LetsGoOutside]

What is the done thing when this situation happens? it was a genuine mistake. Picture of seats attached so you can see our thinking.

We have not been the pictures in over 5 years. Took the kids yesterday. Booked what we thought were back seats, they look like back seats on the pictures.

Film starts. Lady, Man and their child approach us. She says “You’re sat in our seats move.” My husband said “I don’t think we are, opens his phone to find the tickets.” I said what’s the seat number, I check both ends of the isle and they only say numbers not letters. So I came back and said I don’t know what to do. My husband said I’ll go and ask one second. The woman is getting more annoyed by this point. I said he’ll only be a minute. She said you need to move now, I said I can’t move both kids, all our food on my own it’ll only take a minute we genuinely think these are our seats. She starts pointing in my child’s face, whose three, saying move him, he’s in my son’s seat and he’s autistic. It’s my child’s first time at the pictures, it’s dark and there is a strange woman pointing at him telling him to move. He gets upset. Not that this is relevant but I felt like saying so, son is autistic too! Anyway husband returns and says yes we are in the wrong seats. We both apologised while moving the kids and our things.

I understand I was wrong, it was a genuine mistake though, look at the picture would you think these are back seats? Or if you go the pictures a lot is it obvious and we’ve just been really silly. 😂 I genuinely thought we were in the right seats and did everything we could to resolve it quickly.

AIBU would you have moved two young children under 4 if you thought you were right?

It’s blindingly obvious that row A and the Odeon screen means that you booked front row seats OP. What else could ‘Row A’ possibly have meant?

So why did you crop it out?

I have some sympathy because in the past I have booked seats further forward than I meant to because I hadn’t realised where the screen was.

It became clear when I got there though, because of the letters at the end of the row. I have never been to a cinema that didn’t have letters at the end of each row. I suspect this cinema had them but you didn’t notice them.

No, you haven't 😉

You cannot see the legend for the other rows (the stuff you cropped above the pink line). Seems that it should have been obvious that you were sitting in the wrong rows given that you were sitting in a premium row (unless the green was also premium).

so you can’t move some snacks and your own two kids on your own … you can’t book cinema seats … you sound like hard work !

I’m not surprised the woman was annoyed with you tbh!

Row A is usually the front, not the back row - not sure how this wasn't obvious to you - yabu

The seats we sat on at the front were exactly the same as the back. The pictures still looks to me like the chairs are all facing front and we booked the back. I didn’t realise the odeon band was supposed to be the screen on the picture I thought it was just the brand. I had two kids with me, we thought we booked the back, I walked in seen the back and sat down. I didn’t give it much more thought than that.

I’d say front as well especially as it’s row A

I find it very hard to believe there were no row numbers in the actual cinema

its no big deal though and the woman was rude. You were plainly going to move and unless the film was starting right away there was no reason she couldnt wait 2 minutes. Other people have been sat in my seats before and I’ve either asked them to move or just said where are your seats and I’ll sit there

She was rude but you were a bit wet. I still don't understand why your husband had to find someone to figure out you had sat in the wrong row. Or why once you had realised you were in the wrong place you couldn't start moving your things - how much food had you got? I feel most sorry for the other cinema goers who were interrupted by you all.

So,selective screenshotting?

Multiple times.

I suspect this cinema had them but you didn’t notice them.
I once stayed in a hotel that had the room numbers printed on the carpet in front of the doors rather than on the doors themselves. Wandered around for ages in a haze of confusion before I happened to look down 😅

And the fact the expensive seats were magically cheaper than advertised just for you, and it happening to be the only cinema that didn’t have row numbers anywhere? The photo is pretty clear and I think you no that otherwise you wouldn’t have cropped it out.

Regardless YABU and considering you wouldn’t move until your checked the seat numbers and been to speak to someone and I’m not surprised she was annoyed. This one is 100% on you OP

Row A is the front and I’m sorry OP but that’s so obvious in your second screenshot (the fact you cropped it in the first post makes me think you know this too!!) - I absolutely hate it when I go to the cinema and someone’s in my seat it does my head in. If it’s a genuine mistake, forget about it but cinema rows start from A!

I cropped it out because I screened shot it last night. Because I was thinking about it, it was after midnight and I was embarrassed about the time.

It was a genuine mistake. I can’t do anything about making a mistake I want to know if I was being unreasonable for my reaction.

No I couldn’t move a scared three year old, a four year old, four drinks and four popcorns by myself as I didn’t have enough arms.

I think you are all being rude to the OP.

Yes, I also don't believe there were no signs marking the rows, but I certainly believe the OP didn't see them. And it's perfectly easy not to read the Odeon strip on the image as the screen (it would be far easier if it said "SCREEN").

It's hardly an impossibility to sit in the wrong seats by mistake!

Those are clearly the front row - A is always at the front. The row letter is frequently printed on the floor.

The screen wasn’t the only indicator. Seats are facing the wrong way if the screen was at the back, and the seats she sat in clearly cost more than she paid as they were the nicer seats

Also, the purple luxe seats in rows E and F are £2 extra - at the back - which you would have noticed as a very different and upgraded type of seat when you sat down OP. You knew what you were doing and chancing your arm there.

Am I missing the point that, once in your seats and gazing directly at the screen with nothing in front of you, you still thought you were in the back row?

I wasn’t rude to her :shrug:

You could.

You're making a big drama about this, and I have two children with SEN.

You just needed to get up. The rows are labelled, you didn't see it. That's not the other person's problem.

You didn't work out that row A would be at the front, despite booking online where row A is clearly shown as the first in front of the screen. That's not the other person's fault.

You weren't jammed in a row, you had loads of room at the front of the cinema, you could have stood up. Your 4yo can hold his own popcorn. You are making excuses for being helpless when you weren't. You just needed to stand up, apologise, and say "my mistake.".

Of course people make mistakes. Your handling of this was the error. Which I now suspect you'll argue about all the reasons it wasn't.

She booked front row seats but sat on the back row…

No (it did take me a while to work this out)
They had tickets for the front row but sat in the back row cause they didn't know which one was A

I think she sat in the back but thought those were her seats not the front ones.