Are you sure the people complaining didn't prbook seats. I recommend you look at the fine print. Selecting seats does in no way guarantee you the seat that you have selected. I have seen cases where people who prebooked seats got split up, and didn't get a refund for the selection either.
Qatar openly describes their top tier status as having a benefit of "if you want any seat, taken or not, it's yours (unless another top tier person is sitting there)".
I'm aware that the fine print says "if we have to, we will screw you over" but I fly over a dozen flights a year (108 in my Flighty app) and never had a problem. Airlines have moved me, but they always confirm who I'm flying with and it's always an upgrade to get another group together.
