Theatres refusing to sell single seats

[longinthetooth]

I actually rang the box office of my local theatre when the seating plan refused to let me leave a single seat. The guy on the end of the phone was equally adamant that a single seat could not remain. He refused to entertain the idea that someone might wish to go alone!

[mkb]

My partner and I will often take two single seats if the only available doubles are poor value or poorer view/comfort. We're taking seats off the theatre's hands that they sometimes wouldn't sell, especially in the provinces, which don't have so many solo theatregoers as the West End.

Maybe theatres should be incentivising the hoovering up of singles when there are a lot of them left? Say a free programme for splitting a booking?

[hadeswasking]

Feb 4, 2023 16:51:17 GMT mkb said:

My partner and I will often take two single seats if the only available doubles are poor value or poorer view/comfort. We're taking seats off the theatre's hands that they sometimes wouldn't sell, especially in the provinces, which don't have so many solo theatregoers as the West End.

Maybe theatres should be incentivising the hoovering up of singles when there are a lot of them left? Say a free programme for splitting a booking?

ATG are usually good at this with their touring venues, if you book a single seat you can usually get it at one of the lowest price points. They also allow you to leave single seats. No idea why other theatres don't do this if they can't sell single seats.

[Mark]

LW Theatres also massively reduced the cost of singles for the Palladium Panto.

[Dawnstar]

Feb 4, 2023 16:28:07 GMT longinthetooth said:

I actually rang the box office of my local theatre when the seating plan refused to let me leave a single seat. The guy on the end of the phone was equally adamant that a single seat could not remain. He refused to entertain the idea that someone might wish to go alone!

I once had that, when the Leicester Curve box office refused when I phoned them. Given it takes me a couple of hours each way to get to Leicester, I didn't see want to go unless I could get a decent seat. I complained on Twitter, tagging in the theatre. About 10 minutes later I got a call back saying I could buy a single seat after all!

[mkb]

I've found the customer service at Curve to be consistently poor ever since they opened. I could cite numerous examples.

One was when I took out a standard membership once they had reopened after the first Covid lockdown. A benefit was 20% off at the bar and café. One month later they reduced it to 10% and applied it not just to new memberships but to existing ones too. In the financial world, this would be mis-selling. They also cancelled the next six months of shows and would not extend memberships. They also withdrew 2-for-1 nights from standard members that was supposed to be another benefit.

Some of the email replies I had when I complained about the 27C temperature in the stalls following their decision to refit with as many seats as possible would properly be termed gaslighting.

[Dr Tom]

I got a really fun single seat error on TodayTix today.

A pair of seats next to each other, in different price bands.

Single seat booking is not allowed, as it will leave another single seat.

Booking the pair of seats isn't allowed, as they're in different price bands!

Unsurprisingly, they weren't sold before the show went off sale (I didn't go in the end).

[og]

"You cannot leave an empty seat" is a somewhat ironic warning given the fact that in many circumstances by preventing me from booking this seat, I will in fact be leaving this seat unsold ergo empty.

[dippy]

I managed to buy a single seat out of a pair of seats on todaytix yesterday, maybe it depends on the show? The other seat did sell at some point during the day as there was someone sat next to me.

[christya]

I can usually manage to fudge it by booking the other seat in a different window or via a booking system that doesn't have the restriction, but on the odd occasion I haven't been able to do it, I'd rather just not go. No, I won't take one of the scattered single seats at the back of the stalls when there are seats front of circle that you just don't want to sell me. I want the best view available, and if the seat is free and I'm not allowed to buy it just because I happen to be visiting alone, well, I have other places to spend my money.

[southstreet]

Yeah, it's frustrating. It's easy to trick the system if there are three seats and you want two of them, but if there are only two seats and you just want the one, you're often buggered and it's bloody annoying. :-(

[distantcousin]

Feb 4, 2023 16:28:07 GMT longinthetooth said:

I actually rang the box office of my local theatre when the seating plan refused to let me leave a single seat. The guy on the end of the phone was equally adamant that a single seat could not remain. He refused to entertain the idea that someone might wish to go alone!

Why is society still so narrow minded about such a basic thing as this?!

[fiyero]

The thing is the problem isn't buying a single seat. it is leaving a single seat. They are harder to sell and has been mentioned some companies then have to discount them to sell them.
What would be nice is if the system could be clever enough to let you leave a single seat if there is no reasonable alternative - as mentioned I wouldn't want a seat under the overhang 20 rows further back just to please the theatre but it is not unreasonable to sit a little further away if it avoids the problem. I can't ever see the systems getting that right though!

I've had a system not let me book a seat as it would leave an odd seat in another block the other side of the theatre (due to the way the seats were numbered 1,2,3,4 one side 5,6,7,8 the other). That seat was already odd really!

[christya]

The problem I have with the 'reasonable alternative' thing is that I don't want an 'alternative', I want the best seat available. I'm 5'2" - I don't want to sit 'further back'. Why should my choice of seats be limited because I'm going alone? The seat is there, just let me buy it!

I've even arrived at the theatre once or twice to find them trying to move me on the night for the convenience of someone else. I don't mind if it's an actual equivalent - for example I was once asked to move from my aisle seat on one side of the theatre, to the same aisle seat at the other end of the row - but no, I won't move further back or into a worse seat. It's the same as a plane, really - an upgrade, or equivalent, or I stay put.

[joni89]

This is very annoying! Sometimes if you phone rather than try to book online, they can over-ride this on the system.

[BurlyBeaR]

Threads merged.

[alessia]

Feb 6, 2023 15:26:29 GMT christya said:

The problem I have with the 'reasonable alternative' thing is that I don't want an 'alternative', I want the best seat available. I'm 5'2" - I don't want to sit 'further back'. Why should my choice of seats be limited because I'm going alone? The seat is there, just let me buy it!

I've even arrived at the theatre once or twice to find them trying to move me on the night for the convenience of someone else. I don't mind if it's an actual equivalent - for example I was once asked to move from my aisle seat on one side of the theatre, to the same aisle seat at the other end of the row - but no, I won't move further back or into a worse seat. It's the same as a plane, really - an upgrade, or equivalent, or I stay put.

I couldn't agree more- so far I never had an issue with booking single seats, for things I really wanted to see. I came across this once but I didn't care enough for the show to make an effort and find another solution so I gave up (their loss lol). Thankfully I've never been asked to move, and I would definitely say no. 

[Deal J]

There's a rule that can't be broken /
and the pain goes on and on /
Empty chairs that aren't a couple /
Can't remain /
Singles begonnnnnnnnnnne

[Rozzi Rainbow]

This reminds me of my experience at York a few years ago - I called into the box office a couple of hours before the show started, and they wouldn't sell me one of a pair of seats. They tried to make me take one of a group of three - but they were more expensive than the seat I wanted. I said I shouldn't have to pay more just because I was on my own, and they reluctantly sold me one of the cheaper pair. When I took my seat for the show, I was delighted to see the other seat had also sold - proving that the excuse "single seats don't sell" is complete codswallop as we all know!

[lookingatthestars]

I know this has been discussed before, but I cannot find the thread with the info.

How does one get around booking one single seat from 2 together when the system will not allow an empty seat to be left behind?

Many thanks for any help.

[evilmat360]

Guessing you meant this thread, theatreboard.co.uk/thread/1647/theatres-refusing-sell-single-seats

Normally found the best way to either be to hold the ticket on another device or having to call the box office and hoping they'll either block it out to allow you to book it online or do it over the phone.

But holding it on another device very much depends on the systems they're using, as some will still recognise that the seats next to the single seat you want haven't been sold.

[lookingatthestars]

Thank you for the info.

Apologies for not finding that thread, thanks for linking it.

I guess admin can delete this

[BurlyBeaR]

Merged.

[FrontrowverPaul]

Nov 24, 2023 20:25:22 GMT lookingatthestars said:

I know this has been discussed before, but I cannot find the thread with the info.

How does one get around booking one single seat from 2 together when the system will not allow an empty seat to be left behind?

Many thanks for any help.

 I've never tried contacting the theatre but I have had success reserving one of the two seats from a third party seller - usually at a higher than the box office price - and then buying the other seat at the standard price.   I always use google incognito on my PC rather than just another window. However the last time I tried the trick it didn't work.

 ATG and LW Theatres do often allow a one from two purchase - and sometimes discount remaining single seats on or before the day.

[marob]

Had this recently with Delfont MacKintosh. When I booked Old Friends it wouldn’t let me leave a single seat online, but a popup message gave the box office phone number. The guy I spoke to asked which seat I wanted, took the other one off sale, and said to book it as usual on the website.

On the phone for all of a minute and booked with no problem. Can’t help asking why? If they have no issue selling single seats then why not just sell them online?