Unbelievable, Entitlement at its worst... (couple refuse to move out of clearly reserved seats)

[trebor79]

We've not had reservations on GA for a few months now- something to do with the new trains and to be honest it's much better!

No 'You're sitting my seat'
No confused looking passengers wandering around looking for their reservations and getting in everyone's way.
Passengers just get on- find a seat that suits and sit down. No bother.

It does make you wonder.

Except my mother in law who spent a whole day worrying about whether she should cancel her tickets and get a taxi to Heathrow from Norwich. Got it in her head the train would be rammed and she'd have to stand all the way to London!
All my fault for moaning about the cancellations etc on the GEML at the moment!

But yes, it does work better this way!

 

[option]

Wonder if someone will identify them...

 

[Ianno87]

We've not had reservations on GA for a few months now- something to do with the new trains and to be honest it's much better!

No 'You're sitting my seat'
No confused looking passengers wandering around looking for their reservations and getting in everyone's way.
Passengers just get on- find a seat that suits and sit down. No bother.

It does make you wonder.

Except my mother in law who spent a whole day worrying about whether she should cancel her tickets and get a taxi to Heathrow from Norwich. Got it in her head the train would be rammed and she'd have to stand all the way to London!
All my fault for moaning about the cancellations etc on the GEML at the moment!

But yes, it does work better this way!

Or you know as a parent travelling with kids, it's not very responsible to then sit apart from them, especially when you've actually gone to the effort of making reservations.

 

[noddingdonkey]

Not sure which TOC this is, but I daresay this elderly couple could have legitimately turfed somebody out of a priority seat rather than acting in this way.

 

[JaMa9]

This level of entitlement, selfishness and rudeness is now common place in British society. Becoming more backwards with each year...

 

[ExRes]

This level of entitlement, selfishness and rudeness is now common place in British society. Becoming more backwards with each year...

Quite so, let's not get sidetracked with the 'old couple' thing though as some people are, there is no difference in levels of rudeness and ignorance from any age group these days, behaving selfishly is simply standard behaviour for 'modern' society

 

[Grumpy Git]

I think it's terrible, no matter how "old" the offending couple are. They both look retired, so have no excuse not to get organised and reserve their own seats on a suitable train, (just like the mum did for her kids and herself). It also sends a bad signal to the kids.

I'm glad the lady got a free upgrade, but for the old couple to get-off "scot free" means they'll probably do it again?

If I had arranged that journey for my family (knowing I wasn't travelling with them), I'd be furious.

 

[ess]

Presumably it won't be too long until any person can be face identified by a Google search of an image

 

[ExRes]

Presumably it won't be too long until any person can be face identified by a Google search of an image

What possible reason have you got for identifying someone?

 

[Belperpete]

Can't you ask to see their tickets, then tear the tickets in half saying that they are no longer valid as they have broken the terms and conditions, then treat them as travelling without valid tickets?

Not a practicable solution.

Maybe not, but just confiscating their tickets could cause them problems later in their journey. Not confronting the couple meant that they effectively got off scot-free, and so are more likely to repeat their behaviour again.

 

[Speed43125]

My experience of the BTP is I’ve only called them once one evening a few weeks whilst working solo at a station & was being seriously threatened by two drunk idiots (I only called as I really thought I was going to get done) took me an age to get through, I was isolated on the opposite platform to my office so couldn’t even get there, after said travellers cleared off on a train an hour later BTP phoned me to ask “has it died down now? We didn’t have the manpower to get to you”

What? Told them what to do & I would never call them again, other colleagues on occasion have had similar experiences when they were needed.

As useful as a chocolate teapot!

Interesting. They always seem to have the manpower to deal with me. Once got stopped waiting at Stirling Station having allegedly photoed/videod someones children using my phone. They insisted on looking through my pictures, which I did oblige, but whole thing left me rather annoyed with them really. Can't say I'm a fan, though in fairness after dealing with half a million drunks every night, not being friendly is understandable.

 

[Speed43125]

Not sure which TOC this is, but I daresay this elderly couple could have legitimately turfed somebody out of a priority seat rather than acting in this way.

East Coast Mallard refurb Mk3/4? so LNER?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interesting. They always seem to have the manpower to deal with me. Once got stopped waiting at Stirling Station having allegedly photoed/videod someones children using my phone.

Which is interesting given that taking photographs of children (or anyone else) in public isn't illegal and so has nothing to do with the Police.

It amazes me how many people think they (or their kids, dog, cat, bicycle or whatever) have a legal right not to be photographed in a public place.

 

[Speed43125]

Which is interesting given that taking photographs of children (or anyone else) in public isn't illegal and so has nothing to do with the Police.

It amazes me how many people think they (or their kids, dog, cat, bicycle or whatever) have a legal right not to be photographed in a public place.

Indeed, getting quizzed over if they could show me my 'recently deleted' folder to prove I hadn't just pulled a fast one, then explaining that wasn't a feature on my aging Nexus was really not what I needed when standing on a cold platform.

 

[urbophile]

'Leave means leave.' I love that!

 

[bramling]

This level of entitlement, selfishness and rudeness is now common place in British society. Becoming more backwards with each year...

I suspect it’s a function of increasing population density. As things become increasingly crowded the potential for conflict increases as more issues arise. Along with what seems to be an increasing disability to accept compromise.

 

[bramling]

Which is interesting given that taking photographs of children (or anyone else) in public isn't illegal and so has nothing to do with the Police.

It amazes me how many people think they (or their kids, dog, cat, bicycle or whatever) have a legal right not to be photographed in a public place.

Agree with all the above. Another example of silly self-importance and “what I want trumps everyone else”.

 

[yorkie]

Can we stick to the topic in question please, thanks.

(Anyone is welcome to create a new thread to discuss anything else)

 

[507 001]

Do guards really fear assault all the time or do many just not want the confrontation? A couple of pensioners aren't intimidating physically.

Possibly a worry that it might lead to some form of disciplinary action if it were to turn into an argument?

 

[JohnMcL7]

Not sure which TOC this is, but I daresay this elderly couple could have legitimately turfed somebody out of a priority seat rather than acting in this way.

CrossCountry apparently:

https://twitter.com/Manda_like_wine/status/1186763554222944256

It's irritating to see people taking reserved seats and refusing to move but I don't see it as anything new, some people seem to ignore the reserved tickets and assume no-one will bother to try to move them.

 

[Jon125]

The incident may have occurred but don't all rise to the potential embellishment from this Tweeter. Look at her profile, posts, followers and it's possibly for added effect IMHO. If true you'd have just got your three kids to watch Youtube videos on full blast. They'd soon move with rubbish and extreme noise directed to them.

3 kids and 24.2k tweets. Good parenting not attention seeking at all no wonder they look miserable when being told to look pissed off for a tweet picture to increase her social media presence that she appears to so desire. Bet this Tweet has seen her numbers increase to bore idiots to follow her rants and wise words that we all need to be made aware of....

 

[AlterEgo]

Don't rise to the bait from this Tweeter, look at her profile she's as bad as the people she's trying to humiliate. If the incident occurred, posts, followers and it's OTT for effect IMHO. If true you'd have just got your three kids to watch Youtube videos on full blast. They'd soon move with rubbish and extreme noise.

3 kids and 24.2k tweets. Good parenting not attention seeking at all no wonder they look miserable when being told to look pissed off for a tweet to increase her social media presence that she appears to so desire.

Wow, a post even worse than most of the tweets in reply to her. Congrats!

 

[Jon125]

Not really, a realistic interpretation of how social media can be manipulated. Who was witness to this... Have you heard of fake news....

Maybe I'm glass half empty after having a staff first class pass so never needed to venture into cattle class. I am joking on last point as my pass got revoked once I finished education.

 

[bramling]

Wow, a post even worse than most of the tweets in reply to her. Congrats!

The whole twitter thread is pretty depressing all round. The initial refusal to move (if reality is as reported, of course), all the stuff about making other people’s journey unpleasant (one might be able to construct a case for making the couple’s journey unpleasant, but this also inevitably involves making things unpleasant for everyone else nearby), not to mention the tweets about old people.

So depressing.

 

[Crepello]

... They insisted on looking through my pictures... quizzed over if they could show me my 'recently deleted' folder...

Continuing the tangent but hopefully this is deemed germane: Do British police officers have the lawful authority to make such demands? I'm genuinely interested - here in the US, it wouldn't happen without a search warrant.

Veering dangerously back towards the topic the situation indeed seems to have been handled well by train manager. Downside is that a 'free upgrade' scam is doubtless fermenting in the minds of freeloaders...

 

[HOOVER29]

I remember a few years ago I pre booked a return to Edinburgh from Tamworth on the 06:19 service. My carriage was almost empty. I say almost has there was an Asian man sat in it & unbelievable he’d chosen my reserved seat. Told him so too. He didn’t move. So sat opposite him & every time he slouched over the table & fell asleep I kicked the table waking him. Kept me occupied nicely until Newcastle where he got off avoiding eye contact with me.

 

[noddingdonkey]

Continuing the tangent but hopefully this is deemed germane: Do British police officers have the lawful authority to make such demands? I'm genuinely interested - here in the US, it wouldn't happen without a search warrant.

As far as I'm aware, no.

Veering dangerously back towards the topic the situation indeed seems to have been handled well by train manager. Downside is that a 'free upgrade' scam is doubtless fermenting in the minds of freeloaders...

Further downside is demonstrating that the theoretical penalty for refusing to vacate somebody else's reserved seat is an empty threat.

 

[Comstock]

I would agree with Wilts Wanderer, and it would also discourage reserving seats "on the off chance".

But I also stand by my point that the real, underlying root cause is overcrowding on the railways which causes stress and pressure in the first place.

 

[yorksrob]

I notice that the TOC in question is Cross Country, in which case I wonder whether the seats were reserved when the couple actually sat down in them or afterwards.

Not condoning occupying someone elses reserved seat, however it wouldn't surprise me if XC's idiotic system of reserving seats from under peoples backsides had stoked up this particular conflict.

 

[Neptune]

Years ago when working a service from Leeds - Manchester Airport (ATN days with a 158) I had a similar situation with a family who’s reserved seats were taken by an older couple.

I asked the couple to vacate the seats but they refused as this was the only table bay left (there were plenty of pairs of airline seats in the vicinity). I then told the family to go to FC where there was plenty of space for them and free snacks from the trolley and I wasn’t going to charge the upgrade as this couple had caused unnecessary problems. The couple suddenly got up and said “it’s ok, they can have their seats we’ll sit in first”. I said ok but you’ll have to pay the upgrade and I’m still giving this family a free upgrade because of your actions.

They stayed put!