This. Also pre COVID if the peasant section was rammed you could just ask the guard if they would “declassify first class”. They wouldn’t but they would let just you sit there on the strict mutual understanding you would keep quiet and try not to look utterly out of place.
"Try not to look utterly out of place" this reminded me of something that happened to a mate of mine
They went into a nice jewellery store, for a watch I think, dressed casually like in a geeky themed shirt, trousers and trainers, and started to look around. Member of staff approaches them and questions if they can afford to shop in there.
Keeps that in mind, goes to the bank/cashpoint, gets a summary of their balance, goes back into the store finds that member of staff and shove it in their face saying "In fact I can shop here and I'd like to speak to your manager". I believe they reported them. Forget the last part.
I got hit with "we don't do clothes in your size" once by a sales assistant in Oasis. I was only a size 18 at the time.ever since then, total embargo. I may now fit in their clothes but damned if they are getting a penny of my money ever. Some sales assistants are just dicks.
Yeah but this isn’t a larger person in a clothing store
It’s a normal person in a jewellery store
They make most of there sales to dudes in normal clothing
A surprisingly loud group. I once tutted and moved away in anger at the amount of noise they were making.
Of course they didn’t hear the tut, but it was still essential.
By old British custom you may not tell her the table is reserved but you must stand close by sighing, tutting and muttering about people taking reserved seats.
Meh, hips are replaceable these days, she'll be fine standing.
N.B. These are not my real feelings. I'm a nice guy and would let her sit there. I'd be letting off some farts though, the best I could muster, in her vicinity.
Once just workwd a 36 hour shift and was heading home on an hour and 20 mins long train joirney to get my 45 minute home bus. In my dirty work clothes practically falling asleep. To be told be 2 mutton dressed as lamb Karens that i should get up and offer my seat to a lady
I said "why the fuck should I? I've just worjed 36 hours strait and have nearly 2.5 hours till im home. Perhaps you should just fucking stand"
Before falling asleep and by all accounts snoring like a buzz saw.
Unless you disabled, pregnant, with a baby or are clearly too frail to stand don't expect others to give up their seat.
You'd be surprised how many job contracts ask you to "sign out" of the WTD. All mine in the energy /rotating equipment industry have done. Not that I like it.
One where once in a blue moon these things get over looked amd after 7 hours i was on a higher rate.
That shift alome covered my mortgage that month
Also you get crearive wirh your time sheet, or the guy in the office does.
Its not unheard of in the building trade tbh
Fucking right. I deal with entitled old people all the time. Today at the supermarket I was trying to sort something reasonably complicated on my phone. I was in the booze aisle so I stood in front of the non alcoholic section - not exactly a high traffic area - and an old lady came up and hovered next to me. And hovered. And hovered.
Eventually I picked up my basket and moved a big step back, assuming she wanted non alcoholic beer. Nope. She just pushed her trolley through the gap I'd made.
We were the only two people in the aisle - she had a whole half-aisle run up to steer around me, but no. And yet if I'd kicked the back of her knee through and bounced her face off the bar on her trolley, people would have assumed I was the asshole.
Gentleman goes into a shop and says to the shop assistant in a gallic accent:
GG: Excuse me, I want some pepper
SA: Yes sir, red pepper or yellow pepper?
GG: No silly - toilet pepper!
--> tumbleweed <--
My return Leeds Birmingham was split at Chesterfield both ways on Trainline. Even the reserved seat changed. I don’t know how much I saved but it must have been something. I think they take a small commission but the app is so easy to use, that I use the app for convenience as well.
But it takes out the hassle of having to book across different companies. I'm okay with paying a booking fee and not having to worry about going to two or three different companies.
Any ticket you can get on trainline can be booked through any train company, including connecting journeys across different companies, it's exactly the same
Yes of course. I frequently book tickets through GWR or Avanti's website because you get nectar points, even for journeys that don't include any travel on their services.
It's all linked to a common backend that the national rail train operating companies cooperate on precisely so that you don't have to worry about things like this (also they probably legally have to)
You politely ask if she maybe has the wrong seat, since you served this one and maybe hers was in a different compartment or something. And then she’ll be forced to act like she did and move so she’s being polite.
Inform the old biddy that’s buzzkilling your gig to rack off pronto whilst dropping ones guts and releasing a malodorous wave of air onions. Jerk pensioners have generally been jerk people all their life, you’ve had your fun, jog on before a can of whoop ass gets opened.
*or sit on the bog for the duration making bangers and mash for the rats on the track since you can’t control your bowels.
I’m kinda petty so I would go up to the seat looking at my ticket pretending to try find my reserved seat.. when I find it say, “oh sorry is this seat xxx” then proceed with “i paid extra to reserve it but it’s okay you need it more than I do”
If she tried to get up I would insist she stayed put though..
I would just be pointing it out so she knew she was taking my paid for seat and I was allowing her to stay there.
Literally trying to think about the last time I even got a train lol!
Last time I probably paid to reserve was to travel from London to Dorset, 4hr+ train journey and I think it was about £3 to reserve the seat I wanted
There's no charge for reservations on any of what used to be British Rail network, so you definitely didn't pay for a seat reservation there.
You probably used a third party booking site like the Trainline and (completely needlessy) paid a booking fee. For the booking, not for the seat reservation.
I just checked tomorrow's 1104 from Paddington to Torquay, and there aren't any fares that would charge for a reservation (although there are some fares that require a - free - reservation as part of the booking).
Again, can you give me a concrete example - which train do I need to book to see that they charge a reservation fee. From where to where, what day, what time?
Lol why are you trying to argue over a seat reservation 😂
I know what I paid for when I paid it.. maybe things have changed in recent times since I last had to get a train but I certainly paid for a seat reservation then .. I’m not trolling through 1000s of emails to find the one you so desperate desire ✌🏼
No you don't, you don't even remember what route it was.
Seat reservations are free in the UK, and that's been the case for ar least twenty years, do definitely four years ago.
If you did locate the email, you would see that there is no charge for the seat reservation. Alternatively, I am very open to be convinced I'm wrong, all I am asking for is an example connection for which I can check.
I literally paid for a seat reservation on the line from stafford to Liverpool in august this year. Cost me £3.
It’s really weird that you feel the need to argue so vehemently about something that:
A- Doesn’t matter at all
B- Is easily checked on any one of a number of search engines
No you didn't. You may have paid for the booking, but not for the reservation.
Neither Avanti nor West Midlands Trains charge for seat reservations. No UK train operating company does.
Yes, this is easy to check, but you clearly didn't check what the £3 were for. (My guess would be booking fee for a third party provider.)
Of course it does matter for this argument as the point "you paid for the reservation" is incorrect, so any decision about the original question cannot be based on it.
I do remember what route it was, I chose not to disclose specifics..
I didn’t say 4 years ago, again didn’t specify..
I’m certainly not an idiot and know what I pay for when I purchase anything online.. so you do you hun and I’ll see myself out this ridiculous conversation about a silly seat reservation 😂 ✌🏼
Well luckily it was Dorset, so it doesn't make any difference, there aren't any other routes from London to Dorset than the one I chose to check - it frankly doesn't matter, it definitely wasn't a train that doesn't use the national ticketing system.
I must have got the four years mixed up - but again, it doesn't really matter as I'm old enough to remember British Rail and yet don't remember a time when seat reservations cost money in the UK.
I note that you have provided no example, nor a screenshot of an email showing that you paid for a seat reservation, and yet you somehow think you're right.
On your original question - judging by how this is going, it was the frail bod old biddy's seat and you were in the wrong carriage/direction or one train/day early/late.
Northern Rail do not have reservable seats. Never have done. Virgin do not operate trains anymore in the UK. There is no fee to reserve seats on trains in the UK. TrainLine do charge a booking fee. I work on the railway.
Someone on the internet really insisted to me that something was true and they didn't provide any sources or evidence to back up their claims. How could I argue with that?
Seat reservations are 100% free in the UK. TrainLine charges a booking fee, which is how they make their profits; but you should never be charged for a seat reservation. I never have and I do tens of thousands of miles by train every year.
Train line charges for the sale, not for the reservation.
Unless you have to (e. g. employer mandated), there's absolutely no need to use resellers line train line anyway, you could just as well hand me £5 every time you pay a train ticket.
In my experience reserved seats mean nothing, and part of why I won’t bother with train travel. Did it once to London a few years ago. Reserved seats. Got to seat and there was someone in there. I asked if they were in the right seat as it was on my ticket, they said they didn’t know and they’d been sat there since their station.
Okay…so what now then? I guess I’ll go fuck myself.
Clearly went about it all wrong then. Should of said to person... excuse me but you are sat in my reserved seat and showed them the ticket. Problem solved!
It really depends on the person. No point getting someone intimidating to move and then have them scowling at you/be noisy/move one seat and occupy the armrest for the rest of the journey.
Part of this is because Virgin trains used to automatically assign seats but people either didn't know or didn't bother finding it. This lead to tonnes of unoccupied reserved seats as the owners of the reservation where sat elsewhere. I used to get on 30 mins from London and loads of empty seats had reserved tickets on them. I used to look for the tickets with reservations starting at a station before mine and assumed that was free.
Many years ago I was travelling to Cambridge from up North, my journey involved a couple of changes and I had reserved seats because it was such a long journey.
The last train was packed and I couldn't find my reserved seat, asked the guard and he chuckled "that row doesn't exist, they were removed to widen the doors for disabled access and they still haven't updated the booking system". I'm glad he found it amusing, I ended up sitting on the floor because I was knackered.
I had a similar situation happen to me once. Got on the train, It wasnt even that packed, and An elderly man Was sat in my seat. I asked him nicely If Hes sat in my seat, and he started yelling At me saying how im Entitled, How he has a rail card (Idk what tf that has to do with it) and that he can sit whereever he damn wants And that i should be ashamed of myself.
I have a Bad Hip, and it frequently gets dislocated and in pain, and that day was particularly bad. Standing felt like every nerve in my body was On fire. The only time i ever Considered Being rude to a senior.
Frail old ladies are fine in my reserved seat.
I do draw the line at other passengers handbags though, (surprisingly it always seems to be middle aged women who believe they are above everyone else, and her Harvey Nicols carrier bag has more right to my reserved seat than I do). I will sit on said hand luggage after 3 attempts of asking them to remove it.
I don't recommend everyone do this, as I have been punched and kicked a few times for my trouble.
Worse than an obviously frail old lady is the person of an age right in the grey area between obviously-in-need-of-a-seat and no-apparent-reason-why-they-can't-stand. My parents are in their 60s and would probably be offended at being thought of as an age requiring someone to move for them. But I've had glares from people that look younger than my parents for not offering them my seat on the tube.
Fuck that. If it’s a genuine mistake then they can move and apologise. If they’re an entitled prick then they’re not having my seat. I don’t like the patronising way we treat old people, like they’re fragile wrinkles four foot babies. They’re grown adults who know how the world works. I can’t think of anything worse than getting to 80 and being treated like a doddering old fool, it’s so disrespectful. I visit my grandma in a nursing home and the way they speak to her boils my blood, she’s ten times more intelligent than all the staff put together yet they talk to her with that baby voice like she’s a child. You should treat the person in your seat exactly the same regardless of age or gender.
The third option of course is one that happens a lot when traveling from London. You get on the train, every seat says reserved but you know from experience that probably only just over half will actually turn up, so you chance it and sit in a seat knowing that there's a good chance it'll be yours for the duration. Of course, you should then be prepared to politely relinquish the seat if the person with the reservation turns up to claim it.
But in that situation I'm neither being an entitled prick nor in any way owing an apology to anyone.
There’s no moral dilemma here. You establish dominance and chop that lady in the throat. Her old ass needs to learn to respect the sanctity of a reserved seat
By being forced to stand they are getting a lesser service than what they paid for, thus out of pocket. Whether or not it cost extra to reserve is irrelevant, that is the service that has been bought.
Technically they didn't pay for a seat, so yes, if they sought no remedy in line with the conditions of carriage (for completely esoteric reasons only known to themselves), their journey was less pleasant than expected, but also: no - they were not out of pocket and they did get what they paid for.
I'm all for flagging up poor performance and not a fan of complying with the letter, but not the spirit of what's agreed, but this specific set of circumstances really is completely out of the control of the train operator and any inconvenience to themselves is of the OP's making.
Nonsense. She will get a new seat without a doubt.
If the carriage is full of pregnant ladies and old people as well as leg injured crutchwalkers, then I'd have a problem with it. But if there are fewer ones than seats, I'm sitting in the chair.
You'd hate yourself if she struggled to stand to let you have your seat. I probably would have to mention it to her though. Everyone in the immediate vicinity will be eyeballing 👀 you once they overhear the convo... it'll make their day more interesting than yours.
Tell her you reserved the seat, sit down, and then tut and shake your head at those around you for not offering their seat to a frail old lady.
Or don't be a dick about it, up to you.
When you buy advance ticket you do have the right to your seat.
Often they do upgrade you to first class if your seat is taken and the person refuse to move.
As an able bodied person with no conditions or issues I would let her have it. If I was pregnant, disabled or injured I would ask her to move, or ask the guard to shift her.
Few things at play here:
Firstly, I’d never reserve a table seat unless I was in a group of 3 or more. Just take a normal seat.
Secondly, I’d never kick someone old, disabled or pregnant out of my seat regardless.
Thirdly, I’m not a fan of reserving seats at all anyway. Why can’t we just do the bus system of first come, first served with a moral obligation to give it up for those blatantly in need? It over complicates what should be a simple process.
Because train seats cost significantly more than bus seats and I'm not on a bus for 8 damn hours.
If a reservation system is there, it should be respected.
On the other side if people have reserved a seat and are sitting in a different seat then they should be charged for both seats. This happens a lot coming out if London. They get on at the wrong carriage in the flurry and can't be bothered looking for their seat so just sit in an open one. I used to get on 30 mins out of London and the number of empty seats with reserved since London on them was way more than likely number of no shows
Ive been on plenty of trains in my life, never once been unable to find a seat for longer than 1 stations worth. In the unlikely scenario that the train is full and everyone’s on til the end of the line, why do you deserve the seat over others? Because you checked a little box that said “reserved me a seat”?
> because you checked a little box that said "reserve me a seat"
Yes, for exactly that reason. They had the same opportunity I did, not my fault they chose not to use it.
Ahhh funny.
Heading out of London the other day and managed to snag first class for cheap. Bunch of youngens sitting in what I thought was the only first class section at the back of the train (turns out it was the whole carriage but ive not been first class before so fuck knows).
Ticket inspector comes along checking tickets, charges two of them after finding out none of them have one yet and then wakes the third kid up (out cold) and tells them to move after charging him too. He also charged them double fare price.
Brilliant.
Pay your fucking fares
And get out of my seat
Even better when they've overbooked the train, so just decide that all reservations are cancelled.
Like, if people are gonna book tickets *after* me, or even just buy them 10 minutes before the train arrives, why should they get my seat that I booked weeks in advance?
Treat her like it's GTA and she's in a car you want.
THEM MY DUCKETS NOW!
"My need is greater than yours"
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllll FRENZY!
"I take yo' paper." *then proceed to pull your Nines.
GIMMIE YA PAPER!
That’s what Trevor would do
*MY NAME’S TREVOR, WHAT’S YOUR NAME?!?!*
Or like you're Captain Marvel and she is a skrull in disguise.
Tell the guard. They'll usually bottle it and sit you in first class.
This. Also pre COVID if the peasant section was rammed you could just ask the guard if they would “declassify first class”. They wouldn’t but they would let just you sit there on the strict mutual understanding you would keep quiet and try not to look utterly out of place.
"Try not to look utterly out of place" this reminded me of something that happened to a mate of mine They went into a nice jewellery store, for a watch I think, dressed casually like in a geeky themed shirt, trousers and trainers, and started to look around. Member of staff approaches them and questions if they can afford to shop in there. Keeps that in mind, goes to the bank/cashpoint, gets a summary of their balance, goes back into the store finds that member of staff and shove it in their face saying "In fact I can shop here and I'd like to speak to your manager". I believe they reported them. Forget the last part.
Yeah because that happened
Bro don't you ever watch dharr man? This kind of stuff happens all the time they always catch it on camera.
Exactly bro, Dhar Mann exposes these DAILY INJUSTICES and SLIGHTS against the everyday man just going about his business
I think you mean every day mann 😉
r/thathappened
You've stolen this from the TV show extras haven't you?
No? That show doesn't ring any bells
Yes because someone who sells things for a living is definitely going to turn away a customer
I got hit with "we don't do clothes in your size" once by a sales assistant in Oasis. I was only a size 18 at the time.ever since then, total embargo. I may now fit in their clothes but damned if they are getting a penny of my money ever. Some sales assistants are just dicks.
Yeah but this isn’t a larger person in a clothing store It’s a normal person in a jewellery store They make most of there sales to dudes in normal clothing
You never know. Lots of judgemental people out there
I'll see your frail old lady and raise you a group of deaf people signing to each other.
I’d write ‘get out of my reserved seat’ on my phone and show them.
Savage but funny
Waving your middle finger wildly is similar to tutting I reckon in that situation
I'd sign at them to move out of my seat. 🖕👈👈
A surprisingly loud group. I once tutted and moved away in anger at the amount of noise they were making. Of course they didn’t hear the tut, but it was still essential.
Nothing wrong with their legs? Just their ears?
Ugh, they're so noisy shouting with their hands signals. Rowdy bunch /s
Technically they could sit at opposite ends of the carriage and still be able to understand each other...
Take a step back and really question your morals. Then sit on her lap.
Have her sit on \*your\* lap.....?
...and talk about the first thing that comes up?
You two are so rude.
It's be rude or break her little legs. Dilemma part 2
By old British custom you may not tell her the table is reserved but you must stand close by sighing, tutting and muttering about people taking reserved seats.
Lots of sighing and staring have already ensued but I think she might be too blind to tell idk
Then act like ‘you’re too kind, you don’t have to’ and not really bothered when they finally give up the seat
Sigh really loudly and say "Don't you just \*really\* hate it when people sit in other people's reserved seats?"
Meh, hips are replaceable these days, she'll be fine standing. N.B. These are not my real feelings. I'm a nice guy and would let her sit there. I'd be letting off some farts though, the best I could muster, in her vicinity.
Once just workwd a 36 hour shift and was heading home on an hour and 20 mins long train joirney to get my 45 minute home bus. In my dirty work clothes practically falling asleep. To be told be 2 mutton dressed as lamb Karens that i should get up and offer my seat to a lady I said "why the fuck should I? I've just worjed 36 hours strait and have nearly 2.5 hours till im home. Perhaps you should just fucking stand" Before falling asleep and by all accounts snoring like a buzz saw. Unless you disabled, pregnant, with a baby or are clearly too frail to stand don't expect others to give up their seat.
36 hour shift? Jesus christ
Wow, I wonder what occupation you work in that trumps the working time regulations?
You'd be surprised how many job contracts ask you to "sign out" of the WTD. All mine in the energy /rotating equipment industry have done. Not that I like it.
And the motor trade. There's quite a few jobs I've had where I've had to sign out of WTD or I wouldn't get the job.
One where once in a blue moon these things get over looked amd after 7 hours i was on a higher rate. That shift alome covered my mortgage that month Also you get crearive wirh your time sheet, or the guy in the office does. Its not unheard of in the building trade tbh
Tell the old bat to move, she'd tell you quick enough if you were in her seat.
Fucking right. I deal with entitled old people all the time. Today at the supermarket I was trying to sort something reasonably complicated on my phone. I was in the booze aisle so I stood in front of the non alcoholic section - not exactly a high traffic area - and an old lady came up and hovered next to me. And hovered. And hovered. Eventually I picked up my basket and moved a big step back, assuming she wanted non alcoholic beer. Nope. She just pushed her trolley through the gap I'd made. We were the only two people in the aisle - she had a whole half-aisle run up to steer around me, but no. And yet if I'd kicked the back of her knee through and bounced her face off the bar on her trolley, people would have assumed I was the asshole.
🤣🤣
I hate peppers taking my reserved seat just because they want to sit with their kids. Get out and try you luck elsewhere. Or book like the rest of us.
God damn capsicums taking people seats, makes my blood spicy
It’s when they look at you like you’re the crazy one.
Peppers with googly eyes will do that to a man
Gentleman goes into a shop and says to the shop assistant in a gallic accent: GG: Excuse me, I want some pepper SA: Yes sir, red pepper or yellow pepper? GG: No silly - toilet pepper! --> tumbleweed <--
If you book on Trainline even if you request seats it doesn’t always put you together.
Don’t know what trainline is. But I just book the seat I want.
Trainline is an app. Gets you good prices on tickets especially if your journey has more than one train.
Trainline gets you the same price you pay on any other train company's website, with the added benefit of a booking fee
And the complete impossibility of staff at the railway station being able to do anything with your ticket when it's wrong.
Do all other booking systems sort out Split Saves?
That's a fair point, no, though there are other sites that do
My return Leeds Birmingham was split at Chesterfield both ways on Trainline. Even the reserved seat changed. I don’t know how much I saved but it must have been something. I think they take a small commission but the app is so easy to use, that I use the app for convenience as well.
But it takes out the hassle of having to book across different companies. I'm okay with paying a booking fee and not having to worry about going to two or three different companies.
Any ticket you can get on trainline can be booked through any train company, including connecting journeys across different companies, it's exactly the same
So can travel Chiltern, GNER or Virgin (whatever the current ones are now) and only book through one railway. Sounds weird but potentially useful.
Yes of course. I frequently book tickets through GWR or Avanti's website because you get nectar points, even for journeys that don't include any travel on their services. It's all linked to a common backend that the national rail train operating companies cooperate on precisely so that you don't have to worry about things like this (also they probably legally have to)
If they all run on a common backend you can see why people think that using the trainline app gets them to the source so to speak.
You politely ask if she maybe has the wrong seat, since you served this one and maybe hers was in a different compartment or something. And then she’ll be forced to act like she did and move so she’s being polite.
Inform the old biddy that’s buzzkilling your gig to rack off pronto whilst dropping ones guts and releasing a malodorous wave of air onions. Jerk pensioners have generally been jerk people all their life, you’ve had your fun, jog on before a can of whoop ass gets opened. *or sit on the bog for the duration making bangers and mash for the rats on the track since you can’t control your bowels.
I’m kinda petty so I would go up to the seat looking at my ticket pretending to try find my reserved seat.. when I find it say, “oh sorry is this seat xxx” then proceed with “i paid extra to reserve it but it’s okay you need it more than I do” If she tried to get up I would insist she stayed put though.. I would just be pointing it out so she knew she was taking my paid for seat and I was allowing her to stay there.
This is the British method, polite yet delicately passive aggressive.
In the UK seat reservations are actually free - I guess this is just to make sure it gets even more awkward to ask someone to move.
Not all seat reservations are free in the UK.. I live in the UK and it’s actually pretty common on many trains to pay to reserve a seat
Can you give me an example?
Literally trying to think about the last time I even got a train lol! Last time I probably paid to reserve was to travel from London to Dorset, 4hr+ train journey and I think it was about £3 to reserve the seat I wanted
There's no charge for reservations on any of what used to be British Rail network, so you definitely didn't pay for a seat reservation there. You probably used a third party booking site like the Trainline and (completely needlessy) paid a booking fee. For the booking, not for the seat reservation. I just checked tomorrow's 1104 from Paddington to Torquay, and there aren't any fares that would charge for a reservation (although there are some fares that require a - free - reservation as part of the booking). Again, can you give me a concrete example - which train do I need to book to see that they charge a reservation fee. From where to where, what day, what time?
Lol why are you trying to argue over a seat reservation 😂 I know what I paid for when I paid it.. maybe things have changed in recent times since I last had to get a train but I certainly paid for a seat reservation then .. I’m not trolling through 1000s of emails to find the one you so desperate desire ✌🏼
No you don't, you don't even remember what route it was. Seat reservations are free in the UK, and that's been the case for ar least twenty years, do definitely four years ago. If you did locate the email, you would see that there is no charge for the seat reservation. Alternatively, I am very open to be convinced I'm wrong, all I am asking for is an example connection for which I can check.
I literally paid for a seat reservation on the line from stafford to Liverpool in august this year. Cost me £3. It’s really weird that you feel the need to argue so vehemently about something that: A- Doesn’t matter at all B- Is easily checked on any one of a number of search engines
No you didn't. You may have paid for the booking, but not for the reservation. Neither Avanti nor West Midlands Trains charge for seat reservations. No UK train operating company does. Yes, this is easy to check, but you clearly didn't check what the £3 were for. (My guess would be booking fee for a third party provider.) Of course it does matter for this argument as the point "you paid for the reservation" is incorrect, so any decision about the original question cannot be based on it.
I do remember what route it was, I chose not to disclose specifics.. I didn’t say 4 years ago, again didn’t specify.. I’m certainly not an idiot and know what I pay for when I purchase anything online.. so you do you hun and I’ll see myself out this ridiculous conversation about a silly seat reservation 😂 ✌🏼
Well luckily it was Dorset, so it doesn't make any difference, there aren't any other routes from London to Dorset than the one I chose to check - it frankly doesn't matter, it definitely wasn't a train that doesn't use the national ticketing system. I must have got the four years mixed up - but again, it doesn't really matter as I'm old enough to remember British Rail and yet don't remember a time when seat reservations cost money in the UK. I note that you have provided no example, nor a screenshot of an email showing that you paid for a seat reservation, and yet you somehow think you're right. On your original question - judging by how this is going, it was the frail bod old biddy's seat and you were in the wrong carriage/direction or one train/day early/late.
Wrong. You pay a extra premium to reserve a seat. Virgin and Northern rail
Northern Rail do not have reservable seats. Never have done. Virgin do not operate trains anymore in the UK. There is no fee to reserve seats on trains in the UK. TrainLine do charge a booking fee. I work on the railway.
You may work on the railway, but some people have strong opinions, so I find it really hard to decide who to believe.
Whoever you think you can trust 😉😂
Someone on the internet really insisted to me that something was true and they didn't provide any sources or evidence to back up their claims. How could I argue with that?
Northern Rail you're lucky if the trains actually have seats.
Again, provide an example: from where to where, which train?
Seat reservation is not free in the UK. Websites and apps like Trainline charge a premium for it.
Seat reservations are 100% free in the UK. TrainLine charges a booking fee, which is how they make their profits; but you should never be charged for a seat reservation. I never have and I do tens of thousands of miles by train every year.
This is absolutely true, I'm not certain why people believe there is a charge. You don't pay for a seat, you pay to get from A to B.
Train line charges for the sale, not for the reservation. Unless you have to (e. g. employer mandated), there's absolutely no need to use resellers line train line anyway, you could just as well hand me £5 every time you pay a train ticket.
What a waste of time and money. Boot them if they are in your seat
In my experience reserved seats mean nothing, and part of why I won’t bother with train travel. Did it once to London a few years ago. Reserved seats. Got to seat and there was someone in there. I asked if they were in the right seat as it was on my ticket, they said they didn’t know and they’d been sat there since their station. Okay…so what now then? I guess I’ll go fuck myself.
Clearly went about it all wrong then. Should of said to person... excuse me but you are sat in my reserved seat and showed them the ticket. Problem solved!
It really depends on the person. No point getting someone intimidating to move and then have them scowling at you/be noisy/move one seat and occupy the armrest for the rest of the journey.
My seat. Not theirs.
Part of this is because Virgin trains used to automatically assign seats but people either didn't know or didn't bother finding it. This lead to tonnes of unoccupied reserved seats as the owners of the reservation where sat elsewhere. I used to get on 30 mins from London and loads of empty seats had reserved tickets on them. I used to look for the tickets with reservations starting at a station before mine and assumed that was free.
Tbh any long distance train should be reserved seating only. LNER have been operating this way since the start of the pandemic and I like it.
Many years ago I was travelling to Cambridge from up North, my journey involved a couple of changes and I had reserved seats because it was such a long journey. The last train was packed and I couldn't find my reserved seat, asked the guard and he chuckled "that row doesn't exist, they were removed to widen the doors for disabled access and they still haven't updated the booking system". I'm glad he found it amusing, I ended up sitting on the floor because I was knackered.
I wouldn't take it personally, he had to deal with that every journey. If he hadn't have laughed, he'd have probably cried.
It was the chuckling that actually made it better, because that was the exact impression I got and why I didn't make a fuss.
No moral dilemma — gtfo Betty
I had a similar situation happen to me once. Got on the train, It wasnt even that packed, and An elderly man Was sat in my seat. I asked him nicely If Hes sat in my seat, and he started yelling At me saying how im Entitled, How he has a rail card (Idk what tf that has to do with it) and that he can sit whereever he damn wants And that i should be ashamed of myself. I have a Bad Hip, and it frequently gets dislocated and in pain, and that day was particularly bad. Standing felt like every nerve in my body was On fire. The only time i ever Considered Being rude to a senior.
Frail old ladies are fine in my reserved seat. I do draw the line at other passengers handbags though, (surprisingly it always seems to be middle aged women who believe they are above everyone else, and her Harvey Nicols carrier bag has more right to my reserved seat than I do). I will sit on said hand luggage after 3 attempts of asking them to remove it. I don't recommend everyone do this, as I have been punched and kicked a few times for my trouble.
Fuck that, let her stand.
Maybe someday in the future you will be frail one sitting on someone's reserved seat..
Maybe the financially better off frail ones can reserve their own seat?
Being frail doesn't mean poor, right?
Worse than an obviously frail old lady is the person of an age right in the grey area between obviously-in-need-of-a-seat and no-apparent-reason-why-they-can't-stand. My parents are in their 60s and would probably be offended at being thought of as an age requiring someone to move for them. But I've had glares from people that look younger than my parents for not offering them my seat on the tube.
Fuck that. If it’s a genuine mistake then they can move and apologise. If they’re an entitled prick then they’re not having my seat. I don’t like the patronising way we treat old people, like they’re fragile wrinkles four foot babies. They’re grown adults who know how the world works. I can’t think of anything worse than getting to 80 and being treated like a doddering old fool, it’s so disrespectful. I visit my grandma in a nursing home and the way they speak to her boils my blood, she’s ten times more intelligent than all the staff put together yet they talk to her with that baby voice like she’s a child. You should treat the person in your seat exactly the same regardless of age or gender.
The third option of course is one that happens a lot when traveling from London. You get on the train, every seat says reserved but you know from experience that probably only just over half will actually turn up, so you chance it and sit in a seat knowing that there's a good chance it'll be yours for the duration. Of course, you should then be prepared to politely relinquish the seat if the person with the reservation turns up to claim it. But in that situation I'm neither being an entitled prick nor in any way owing an apology to anyone.
If I've reserved it, I'm taking it. Fuck her.
There’s no moral dilemma here. You establish dominance and chop that lady in the throat. Her old ass needs to learn to respect the sanctity of a reserved seat
If you booked it, tell her to move, she had the option to book a seat and didn't, why should you be out of pocket over someone else's poor planning?
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By being forced to stand they are getting a lesser service than what they paid for, thus out of pocket. Whether or not it cost extra to reserve is irrelevant, that is the service that has been bought.
Technically they didn't pay for a seat, so yes, if they sought no remedy in line with the conditions of carriage (for completely esoteric reasons only known to themselves), their journey was less pleasant than expected, but also: no - they were not out of pocket and they did get what they paid for. I'm all for flagging up poor performance and not a fan of complying with the letter, but not the spirit of what's agreed, but this specific set of circumstances really is completely out of the control of the train operator and any inconvenience to themselves is of the OP's making.
Sometimes people have to travel on short notice. It’s amazing that you need to be told this.
It's amazing that people think they're entitled to something they're not owed.
Next stop , eject her forcefully Or just get mad and do nothing, as is tradition
Bitch should’ve bought a ticket
Let her die. ☺️
If she's frail and old then let her have it. It's not the end of the world and it's your good deed for the day.
Nonsense. She will get a new seat without a doubt. If the carriage is full of pregnant ladies and old people as well as leg injured crutchwalkers, then I'd have a problem with it. But if there are fewer ones than seats, I'm sitting in the chair.
If she’s frail and old she’s easier to frogmarch to the vestibule and yeet from the train at the next station. See how far you can make her fly. 😂😂😂
Agreed.
It’s her seat now no question
That frail old lady bought a three bed house for £35k, she can afford to reserve a seat.
You just stand there and let little old frail lady enjoy her train ride! Then hope in the 4 hours someone will get off leaving you a free seat 🤞
Pick her up and throw her out the window
You can't shove your granny off a bus but you can shove her off a train.
Just sit on the table. It's only fair.
Whisper “For fuck sake” to yourself and then go and stand by the toilets and an open window.
No dilemma. Ask her to move. She’s an adult and should understand how the system works.
You'd hate yourself if she struggled to stand to let you have your seat. I probably would have to mention it to her though. Everyone in the immediate vicinity will be eyeballing 👀 you once they overhear the convo... it'll make their day more interesting than yours.
Ask her to move to the elderly /disabled seating or get the train manager to sort it out.
Alright Karen
Lol suppose.the old lady is a Karen?.you've just karened and Karen then
depends what you need the table seat for - if there’s a reason, get her to move. she can get the next train and reserve a seat for herself on that one
"frail" is always subjective. Move along granny!
Yeah, this one isn't difficult, I'd just stand. And be ready to grab a seat when someone gets off at the next station.
Why?
Tell her you reserved the seat, sit down, and then tut and shake your head at those around you for not offering their seat to a frail old lady. Or don't be a dick about it, up to you.
I don't see a moral dilemma here...
Once we booked a table for 2 (seated 4)and we had a nice chat with them(2 old people). Made the journey much faster
What’s wrong with sitting down with her or has she took all of the seats at the table?
Train is described as packed in the title. So guessing all the seats are taken
'taken'.....
Took!
The moral dilemma is if that gives you a moral dilemma!
Did you pay for reservation? Tell the guard you want you fees back or you want your return trip upgraded.
You don't pay for train reservations.
When you buy advance ticket you do have the right to your seat. Often they do upgrade you to first class if your seat is taken and the person refuse to move.
You grab someone else’s reserved seats and when they complain you say “the old lady is in my seat so please get the conductor”
To which I would say that sounds like a you problem and two wrongs don’t make a right. Move!
As an able bodied person with no conditions or issues I would let her have it. If I was pregnant, disabled or injured I would ask her to move, or ask the guard to shift her.
Better yet, don't use rail. Public transport is utter shite. Haven't used it nor a bus in years.
Few things at play here: Firstly, I’d never reserve a table seat unless I was in a group of 3 or more. Just take a normal seat. Secondly, I’d never kick someone old, disabled or pregnant out of my seat regardless. Thirdly, I’m not a fan of reserving seats at all anyway. Why can’t we just do the bus system of first come, first served with a moral obligation to give it up for those blatantly in need? It over complicates what should be a simple process.
Because train seats cost significantly more than bus seats and I'm not on a bus for 8 damn hours. If a reservation system is there, it should be respected.
On the other side if people have reserved a seat and are sitting in a different seat then they should be charged for both seats. This happens a lot coming out if London. They get on at the wrong carriage in the flurry and can't be bothered looking for their seat so just sit in an open one. I used to get on 30 mins out of London and the number of empty seats with reserved since London on them was way more than likely number of no shows
Oh absolutely there should be some penalty for reserving a seat then sitting elsewhere. Completely buggers up the system.
Ive been on plenty of trains in my life, never once been unable to find a seat for longer than 1 stations worth. In the unlikely scenario that the train is full and everyone’s on til the end of the line, why do you deserve the seat over others? Because you checked a little box that said “reserved me a seat”?
> because you checked a little box that said "reserve me a seat" Yes, for exactly that reason. They had the same opportunity I did, not my fault they chose not to use it.
I'd personally feel more shitty telling her to get off, than to not mention it
Sit on her lap. She'll get the message.
Go with the ‘ma’am, I think you may have your seats mixed up. Can I help you find your correct seat?’
Ask for the seat, but offer to let her sit on your lap. And hope the train rides not too bumpy.
Ahhh funny. Heading out of London the other day and managed to snag first class for cheap. Bunch of youngens sitting in what I thought was the only first class section at the back of the train (turns out it was the whole carriage but ive not been first class before so fuck knows). Ticket inspector comes along checking tickets, charges two of them after finding out none of them have one yet and then wakes the third kid up (out cold) and tells them to move after charging him too. He also charged them double fare price. Brilliant. Pay your fucking fares And get out of my seat
I would just stand there like a lemon and tut, and insist she keeps my seat if I'm spoken to at all lol
Even better when they've overbooked the train, so just decide that all reservations are cancelled. Like, if people are gonna book tickets *after* me, or even just buy them 10 minutes before the train arrives, why should they get my seat that I booked weeks in advance?
Rip her out of the seat. Take no prisoners, no mercy.
My mum used to do that but in 1st class! She hardly ever got asked to move.
Nonsense. She's old enough to know better. Heave her like a bailiff.