Should Danny and Sandy move seats?

sarahlouise210

Crapgame wrote: »

This is dishonesty as per the Theft Act. You cannot buy lower priced tickets with the intention of sitting in higher priced seats.
It is not the same as taking advantage of empty seats when at the venue.
IMHO if you see empty higher priced seats you should at least offer to pay the difference, but there is nothing other than high morals to compel you to.

You are assuming that I buy cheaper seats ... this is not the case! I always buy top price seats but there are inevitably still better seats available - if I BOOKED cheap seats late and saw availability in the dearer seats then I could see your point, but I always book my tickets months in advance. The only time I ever booked cheap tickets in the hope of moving to better tickets was for "Thriller Live" .......I booked months before MJ died..after he died all the seats were filled!!! Some you win ........;)
As for offering to pay the difference for higher price seats........ who would you make this offer to ...and when.... ?

sarahlouise210

dawsar wrote: »

They bought their tickets at a really low price, knowing they will get what they paid for, so NO they shouldn't move seats. Restricted view doesn't mean NO view!!! If they wanted a decent seat, they should have bought more expensive tickets.

but...... sometimes (especially in London) you are buying from a ticket agency allocation ... this means that although they only have restricted view tickets, other sources may have better seats that are left unsold. And believe me, restricted view tickets do vary and some are extremely good(maybe having only a barrier in front) and some are truly awful. Unless you know the theatre well you really take pot luck.
Looking at it from a different perspective..how many would move if they have paid op price for a ticket but have Mr Tall in front of them? I have moved to cheaper seats for this reason !

pennypinchUK

In my experience, people moving to better seats happens a lot, especially if the theatre isn't full. Certainly, I've seen it a lot of times that after the break people have moved to the better seats. If I could move to better seats when the performance has started (without inconveniencing those already sat down) I'd have no problem. The theatre has got my money and no-one is sitting in the more expensive seats, so no-one is losing out. Unless, of course, someone's going to put up a narrow argument that the theatre will lose out by having to upholster the more expensive seats more often!

Similarly, I've seen people move seats on airlines too - within the same class. Presumably because they can snaffle better leg room, or on night flights they can lie down across 2 or 3 unoccupied seats.

The theatre (or airline) will benefit in that their customer has probably enjoyed themselves more and will tell their friends, which may well bring them more revenue.

Ebenezer_Screwj

Apart from the selfish and dishonest aspect of this, the situation is potentially unsafe. It's akin to leaving a railway seat for a "better" one, having the seat claimed by its rightful occupant then returning to the former seat to find it occupied by someone else.

sarahlouise210

Ebenezer_Screwj wrote: »

Apart from the selfish and dishonest aspect of this, the situation is potentially unsafe. It's akin to leaving a railway seat for a "better" one, having the seat claimed by its rightful occupant then returning to the former seat to find it occupied by someone else.

No...it is not the same because someone can get on a train anywhere along the journey but by about 30 mins into a show you know if those seats are going to be empty. I would never move to a frew empty seats on their own, but when there is a whole row empty or large block of seats then I cant see anything selfish or dishonest in it. When I went to a pantomime last year the theatre was nearly empty... I had paid top price for 4 front row seats , everyone moved down as this was better for the cast and audience - I did not feel aggrieved that I had paid more.... now that would be selfish

John_Pierpoint

The only really fair way to fill a theatre is to conduct an auction, where everyone states their maximum price for a seat and the seats get given out to the highest payers first.
Now what have I done with my pensioner's bus pass.

cutiepie

Too damn right they should. What's the point of seats being empty. It's not as if they've sneaked in and paid nothing so they might as well get the most for their money. If there were no spare seats they would have stayed where they were so no-one is losing out here! The fact that there are spare seats show that people weren't willing to pay the price for them anyway.

VIBondGirl_2

I have to say I'd never have done this before reading the post but I definitely will give it a try, only wish I'd seen this before Tuesday when I sat through a half empty performance of Beauty and the Beast in a fairly rotten seat!

I have really poor eyesight and the only seats I stand half a chance of actually seeing anything useful from are the front of the stalls, the crane your neck seats! Also I have to bring someone with me and the discounts for companions are shocking for most events, many promoters don't offer any at all so I quite often I HAVE go for the cheaper seats.

I don't think it's wrong and believe if the seats are empty then someone should make use of them.

EIGHTOF8

A friend of mine paid for cheap seats in the last calazage fight in Las Vegas. He saw the expensive seats were half empty and simply went and sat there. As a bonus, he even got to punch Joe's glove has he come through the tunnel to enter the ring. Happy Days.

Phephee

I am answering as a Theatre Manager who has managed several venues. The *general* rule is you can move after the interval, as this would allow any latecomers to take their correct seats. It can cause massive disruption when seating latecomers, that there seats have been taken - and even more so when the people in them know they shouldn't be there, but plead ignorance. Please check with the staff beforehand - there may be a reason the seats are vacant!

The *rules* of whether you can move to your correct seat as a latecomer is individual to the show/performance and the visiting Company's Manager request. Opera for example do not tend to allow admittance to the auditorium at all under the interval, whilst a noisy west end show may allow latecomers in at the first big song/number.

I have only once removed a couple from a performance who had moved seats, but this was more to do with their disruptive attitude when asked to go back to their original seats - remember, the management reserve the right to refuse admission! However in a 15 years career, that's not bad!

It's all in the approach and how you ask - a smile and manners can go a long way when asking for something you haven't necessarily been entitled to.............