Too large for a seat, did the venue respond correctly?

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Suedre
Suedre Posts: 435 Member
in Chit-Chat
I went to a concert earlier this week. There was a woman about two rows in front of me that was very overweight. My heart broke for her when I saw her try to sit in the seat and come nowhere close to fitting. She tried several ways to make it work, leaning sideways, sitting on the arms of the chair putting all her weight on her legs, leaning on the railing in front of her, and doing a squiggle of sorts to try to get in there. I wanted to go over there and give her a hug and my name and tell her where to find me on MFP. Of course I didn’t, because when I was heavy I wouldn’t have wanted someone to do it me, even though their intentions were good. I can’t lie, thinking back to what my life was when I was heavy, I was proud of her. I would have just stayed home because I’d rather miss out on life than suffer not fitting in seat. I wondered why she didn’t just stand up. It is a concert after all and a completely appropriate thing to do. Then I thought she might get tired easily and need to sit down. The venue has general admission lawn seating, so she could have gone out had a seat and taken break then come back to her closer spot when she was rested.

Ultimately, this is what happened and where things go a bit gray for me. Her friend complained to one of the ushers. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but given the demeanor of the all the parties involved it was fairly obvious they were discussing the uncomfortable topic of the seat being too small. After several minutes back and forth, the usher got on a walkie talkie and they were joined by another employee of the venue. Within minutes they had retrieved two folding chairs (padded and all) and moved both of the women up about 20 rows into the VIP section, where tickets cost over $180 more than the section we were in. I really can’t decide how I feel about that. At first, I was releived that venue did something to make her comfortable. Then, I was kind annoyed. They put them in seats that would have cost anyone else in our section an extra $400. If they had paid the $400, I would just been thrilled for her; however, the free upgrade for being heavy seems a bit unfair to everyone else that fits in their seats. Do you think the venue responded in the best way? Would a refund for her tickets or a refund of the price difference between her seat and general admission lawn that does not have size restrictions been appropriate? Even further but somewhat related, should venues be required to list their seat dimensions before you buy tickets?

Just curious what other people think because I’m seeing all the sides of this pretty clearly and honestly don’t know what side I land on.
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Replies

  • katie_on_a_mission
    katie_on_a_mission Posts: 112
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    Wonderful question and beautifully worded discussion of the problems here. I will be very interested to see what others say. I would opine that the pair should have been offered general admissions seats and refunded the difference. And, yes, I do believe the venues should list the dimensions of their seats. Anyway, thanks for opening this discussion.
  • crazymama2two
    crazymama2two Posts: 867
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    im a total b*tch and woulda been pissed but not like i would say anything cause really, what the hell am i gonna do? im gonna be grateful i guess that i was at the concert and able to sit in the seat should i choose to and be glad i wasnt her - because, honestly, the embarrasment of the situation would be too much for me to bear - ALTHO i dont know if she's a person that even gets embarrased about things like that....which then would just piss me off in a whole 'nother way...but back to the topic at hand - id be pissed, not say anything cause what an asshat i would look like and just be grateful i only have 40 more pounds to lose...

    i feel your pain girl
  • ruhimaach
    ruhimaach Posts: 171
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    I think it's great customer service! If I were in her shoes, I would have really appreciated their gesture. As an uninvolved 3rd party, would I have liked her getting insulted? Heck no. Would I have liked being told that I'm too fat and need to get out even though I bought a seat? No way!

    I know people flying are usually asked to buy an extra seat...I don't think this would have happened if she were flying. The flight attendant would definitely have not bumped her up to Business Class...
  • Just_Bethy
    Just_Bethy Posts: 272
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    I think its wonderful that she got fantastic seats...Every day of her life is crap ..she knows damn well she is judged by 90% of people around her...who see her weight and not her serious health problems...I think its FAB that for once...She WON!
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    They couldn't downgrade their seats and probably had to put the folding chairs in an area where they would not violate fire safety codes.

    The venue was probably more unhappy than anyone, but I suspect they had no choice.

    Seat dimensions would be helpful, yes.
  • Melbel85
    Melbel85 Posts: 240 Member
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    Honestly I think the employees did right. The woman had already been humiliated enough. You shouldn't be outraged that she ultimately was given better seats but feel sorry for her since she has such difficulties in life. (Just my opinion)
  • MizzCNyle
    MizzCNyle Posts: 40
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    I would have been disapointed too because of their upgrade but in a world were anyone can sue anyone..... they had to do it.
  • kappyblu
    kappyblu Posts: 654 Member
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    The venue wouldn't have done that if there were no available seats up close. They would have put them somewhere else. As a "very overweight" woman whether or not I will fit into a chair is ALWAYS a concern of mine. I try to find out about the seating if at all possible ahead of time. Since I have lost some weight, however, I am finding theater seats and doctor's office seats easier to get into, thank goodness.

    I am sure this is an isolated incident. I notice that your heart went out to the lady at first, but then you felt annoyed once you realized the price difference. Maybe it isn't really fair, but that's what happened and spending time and energy thinking about it is time and energy that could be better spent. Hopefully someday the lady will choose a healthier lifestyle. I know that I have seen many women that were the same as me and that I wanted to walk up to a perfect stranger and tell them all about MFP. But you just don't know a person's story just by looking at them. Maybe she was bigger than that and had already lost weight, or maybe just signed up that day. You never know. It's one of those things you have to just let go.

    Congratulations on your weight loss, and I hope the concert was great! :smile:
  • MaryB2
    MaryB2 Posts: 331 Member
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    I think they handled it correctly, although it may have felt like they were rewarding her for being unhealthy. I'm sure she was embarassed. It would have been different if the venue had listed the seat dimensions and she chose to buy the tickets anyway. It was a very nice thing for them to do and I am sure she appreciated it. That concert may have been the push she needed to get healthier.
  • Rhondast
    Rhondast Posts: 93
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    im a total b*tch and woulda been pissed but not like i would say anything cause really, what the hell am i gonna do? im gonna be grateful i guess that i was at the concert and able to sit in the seat should i choose to and be glad i wasnt her - because, honestly, the embarrasment of the situation would be too much for me to bear - ALTHO i dont know if she's a person that even gets embarrased about things like that....which then would just piss me off in a whole 'nother way...but back to the topic at hand - id be pissed, not say anything cause what an asshat i would look like and just be grateful i only have 40 more pounds to lose...

    i feel your pain girl

    I go to alot of concerts, and I agree. They should've given her a different seat, same section, in a chair.
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
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    Now this is a really good descusion point!!
    Hmmm I agree with you she should not have been 'rewarded' by moving to Vip!! My friend is in a wheel chair, so if we go to a show we state that there is a wheel chair and we need facilities to accomodate such! My daughter is still in a stroller so if we were to take her to a show again we wopiuld ask if there is a place for a stroller or do we leave it at home!.......If someone is 'that' overweight it stands to be said that this would be a regular occurance, so should they not ask at time of booking that they need a chair the fit such a person?????
  • htebaram
    htebaram Posts: 120 Member
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    I for one feel the venue did exactly the right thing. They defused an embarrassing situation and removed the distraction.enabling the other attendees to enjoy the event. Having been in the entertainment/food/beverage business for many years I know how important it is to end a stressful situation asap!:flowerforyou:
  • kalelwifey
    kalelwifey Posts: 172
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    I think its wonderful that she got fantastic seats...Every day of her life is crap ..she knows damn well she is judged by 90% of people around her...who see her weight and not her serious health problems...I think its FAB that for once...She WON!

    Hmmm..maybe i should stay fat for a Pity party and great seats...just sayin...We get judged..thats life..Deal with it..and i dont know her story..but i know the majorityy...like the fat person who has to buy a extra seat on the plane and doesnt think its right.......if ur big enough for 2 people..u pay for 2 people....for anyone with medical problems this aint for u...for others
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    FIRE EVACUATION SAFETY. They can't just toss a freaking folding chair anywhere.
  • manny_bee
    manny_bee Posts: 62 Member
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    i, honestly, as the big mouthed mean person i am, would've gone straight up to management and complained about her getting an upgrade. she paid for the section she was in and if she was "that" big, then i'm sure this is not the first time she didnt fit into a seat. I'm sorry, but if there was seating available on the lawn, they shouldve refunded the difference. If i have to pay for a better seat, then she should too. Just like it was my own fault for getting as big as i have, it was her own fault for being her size and she shouldnt get special treatment for something like that. regardless of how embarrassing it was for her, the venue shouldnt have given her special treatment. Normally, if you require special seating (ie wheelchair/stroller) you ask the venue about it before hand. this is another type of instance you should call about. i feel her inconvenience was her own fault for not inquiring. the venue provided standard seating. if you cant use standard seating, you need to call, not complain and get a free upgrade.
  • k2d4p
    k2d4p Posts: 441 Member
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    According to your own logic, people should sit in the seat that they rightfully paid for. You did that. Her situation had nothing to do with you other than you having to watch it happen. You paid for your seat, you sat in it. You also got to watch a person probably be humiliated. And, even if she wasn't, again nothing to do with you.

    If it were me in your shoes, honestly, I would have probably felt embarrassed for her because if I were her I would have been embarrassed myself. But, whether they moved her or not, heck, if they pitied her and gave her backstage passes, has nothing to do with me. I would have watched that situation and been so unbelievebly happy that I have lost over 100 pounds and don't have to deal with things like that anymore.

    Just my opinion.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    I feel for her too, but it isn't fair that she got better seats because she was bigger. I don't know how I would feel about the situation if I was morbidly obese though. All I know is that I would call the venue and ask about the seat size if I was worried about it.
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
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    I don't think it's fair or right.

    She bought the seat, she didn't fit. Places shouldn't keep making their seats bigger and bigger...it just enables people to stay large.

    But, nothing you can do about it now. Lucky her for getting a good seat! Maybe it's one of the few perks she has received in her life. :smile:
  • htebaram
    htebaram Posts: 120 Member
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    For a bunch of people with weight problems I don't find a lot of you very charitable. There, but for the grace of God, go I.:sick: :sad:
  • boomboom011
    boomboom011 Posts: 1,459
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    how did she not know the size of the seats? I know there are probably circumstances that we dont know but hypothetically speaking if this was just a regular situation where she bought the tickets in advance and knew she was gonna have to squeeze in a seat then she should have bought the lawn seats. Period.

    This is just my opinion, Doesnt make it right nor do i intend to offend anyone. I just get sick and tired of everyone pu$$y footing around with their words. Just call it what it is. She knew she was big and there was going to be a seating issue. Its not rocket science. Bad prepping on her part.
    There i said it.

    However, the venue diffused the situation and good for them.

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