This just started a few days ago, so I'm guessing it's due to some CC I recently installed. When a Sim goes to sit at a desk chair, sometimes they'll wave their arms and do the freak out like they can't sit because the chair is in use. But no other Sims are headed that way, even visitors. When I go to buy mode and try to move/delete the chair it says cannot delete object in use. So I have to use the "moveobjects on" command, delete the chair and add a new one, which is not a big deal but the whole thing is just annoying. Just curious if anyone else ran into this kind of situation.

I have had this glitch too, but only once or twice in over ten years of Simming. I too have found that resetting the chair with boolprop TestingCheatsEnabled true didn't work, and like you I had to turn MoveObjects on, delete the chair, and buy a new one. It can be a bigger deal in my game, because few of my Sims are rich, and, when money is really tight, having to buy a new dining chair can be a bit of a setback. (I've never had the problem that a lots of people here have, of all their Sims growing rich!) If it's an expensive chair and part of a dining room set, do you replace it with a matching one, or do you just buy a cheap dining chair, so your Sims have somewhere to sit while they eat? Usually I use the FamilyFunds money cheat to reimburse my Sims. I think I more often have this problem with beds (sometimes one side of a double bed stops working), where it's a bigger problem as beds usually cost a lot more than dining chairs.

I think the main reason why so few of my Sims grow rich is that, instead of sitting at home skilling for promotions, they socialise a lot, entertaining lots of friends, whom they go out with, shopping (often for clothes), dining out, and visiting nightclubs. My Sims find this a lot more fun than than sitting at home skilling for promotions (or potty-training toddlers for that matter). And I find it more fun too!!

I've noticed, so far anyway, that it only happens with chairs at a desk; doesn't happen with dining room chairs. And I do replace it with a matching one.

The one that broke in my game a few months ago was a cheap chair at a cheap kitchen dining table. It was in a "changing hut" where some new CAS Sims stay for a few hours before becoming townies. it was at a NuMica Allinall §95 Card table, and the chair was probably a §100 Tea Party in Teak chair, but it might have been an §80 PatioPlastics Dining Chair. As I recall a Sim had pulled the chair out from the table, to eat out of a bowl held in their hand, rather than on the table. At the end of the meal they never pushed the chair back up to the table, and after that nobody could use the chair at all.

There aren't many desks in my game. Most of my schoolkids do their homework squatting on the floor.

Even my better off Sims have no compunctions about using cheaper furniture. Gloria Jones, Andrew's mum, who has been in my game from the very beginning back in November 2012, says, "The food tastes just as good off the old NuMica table as it would off a thousand Simoleon monstrosity. I've no intention of changing it. I've had so many lovely meals at that table. . . with those who are dearest to me. It's part of what makes our house into our home."

Was there any deco or other item on the table or desk that could've caused the sim to act this way? If the sim doesn't put the bowl/plate on the table, or interacts with the computer(?) on the desk, chances are there's some item on the table/desk blocking those interactions, causing the chair to disconnect from the table/desk, which likely would make the chair be set in a "pushed out" state that causes this issue.

Items that allow interactions with regular tables usually need to be centerpiece enabled (there's a mod for this that fixes EA items, it's possible one of Lamare or Fway's new multi-function mods do this too). Not sure about the desk issue, but could be a slot problem, for instance a deco item that's put in the place of a computer (or other items that would need that slot on a desk - homework, maybe?)

Chairs that are correctly placed in relation to desks/tables should push in when you set to live mode. If they don't do this, or you've moved them and they push backwards, they're likely incorrectly placed.

If you think it's CC-related, try to move out the possibly offending CC you've downloaded since at least a few days before you think the issue started, and see if the issue resolves. If it does, you can look through those items and see if you find the problem file. Could simply be an outdated or buggy mod or item.

I have that all the time, never been able to figure out why. For me it's dining chairs though. I have two mod setups (regular and medieval) even, so it would have to be a mod that's in both games, but no idea which. It's irregular enough that doing a 50/50 would be a pain and not important enough for me to bother. Think it might be related to some custom food in my case, but not sure.

You might have something that's causing sims to glitch out of using whatever is on that desk, causing the chair to get stuck in use. What are they doing at that desk? Using a computer? (A normal computer, a hacked computer?) MogHughson's novel writing notebook?

Not sure why this happens but I've had success with using the batbox "clear stuck diners" option to fix it.

They were on the computer, browsing or blogging, on a normal computer. That sim leaves, the chair gets pushed in, then a short while later a different sim will come over and is unable to use the chair. The bubble above their head shows a picture of a chair so I don't think it's anything else other than the chair.

I think I figured it out and it's my "fault" but unknowingly. I have the Sim Manipulator mod in my game, got it about a month ago. One of the many cool features that it has is to have your sim "teleport here". So, when a sim is sitting on a chair at a desk I've used the "teleport here" command without having them stand up from the chair first. Then when a different sim goes to sit in that chair it is still in use, technically.

Well, I've had this problem of the chair getting stuck and having to be deleted once, maybe twice, in ten and a half years of Simming. So really, as far as I'm concerned, there really isn't a problem. I meet up with some of my Sims almost every day, so I must have watched Sims sitting down to eat literally thousands of times, and only once or twice has the chair got stuck so I had to delete it. As I said, the last time this happened was at one of the changing huts I have in and around Veronaville. There definitely aren't centrepieces on the tables there. The accommodation in these lots (generally 1x1) is basic but adequate.

There's often a bit of confusion -- chaos even -- when my Sims are starting to sit down for a meal, especially if more Sims are trying to eat than there are seats. Thanks to Neder's Variable Servings, the Sim preparing the meal generally makes just the right amount. (I hate food waste -- even in The Sims!) Usually they then serve the meal properly. Say there are seven Sims going to eat, but only four seats round the little NuMica table. The server sets a place at each seat, calling the other Sims to the meal as they do so. Then they'll return to the kitchen counter, where they'll put down the serving platter and grab a plate for themselves. Then they'll go back to the table. Now the other Sims are on their way to the table to eat, but they haven't got there yet. So the server decides to eat at the table. They can't put their plate on the table as there's a plate there already. So they pull the chair out from the table and sit down to eat. By now the other Sims are arriving at the table to eat. One of them takes the plate off the table in front of the serving Sim. She then sits down at the table next to them. Then a late-coming Sim arrives and takes the plate that she isn't using. By now all the seats at the table are taken so he takes his plate over to an armchair in the corner of the room and eats there. All the Sims have acted quite rationally from their own point of view, but the end result looks chaotic. Of the four Sims sitting round the table, two are eating from the plates on the table and two are eating from plates held in their hands. When all the seats in the room are taken, then some Sims will eat standing next to the table. If one of the seats at the table becomes vacant, then one of the standing Sims will take it, because who wouldn't rather eat sitting than standing? It may look chaotic, but my Sims aren't in the least fazed by all this: sitting or standing, they chat happily among themselves as they eat. New acquaintances are made, which may develop into lasting friendships, or even a romantic relationship that lasts a lifetime.

I just love watching my Sims enjoying this sort of everyday domesticity! I like to see my families sitting round the table and eating together. It helps to bond the family. And when Sims from outside the immediate family are invited to join these meals, I think it helps to bond the whole community. I do have this glitch, but to be honest, it's so rare in my game that it doesn't bother me at all. In my case I don't think it's got anything to do with CC. I am aware of the issue with table centrepieces, but there was no centrepiece of any sort on the table when I had this issue a few months ago. So I just see it as one of those things that go with Sims being such eccentric beings. I suppose that eccentricity is something I have in common with my Sims! So I really can't criticise them for it!

I do use desks for computers (for those Sims who have one), but I've never really had any problems with them. Mostly I use HugeLunatic's One Tile Desks because not only are most my Sims invariably short of money, most of threm are tight for space too. I too use the Sim Manipulator a lot, but I've never used its teleporter feature. To be honest, I didn't know it had such a feature!!

Oh yeah, teleporting a sim when they're using an object is obviously an issue, since the object is still flagged as "in use" if you do that.

I'll try the stuck diners stuff the next time it happens to me, thanks Modder!

I considered getting that, but then I'd never have leftovers and leftovers are useful. Children can get them from the fridge and it means that sims don't have to cook at every meal.

I don't have leftovers, because I don't have Seasons, but ever since I got OFB, I can put uneaten food into inventory. There's not a lot goes into inventory, but sometimes we miscalculate, or somebody leaves early, or someone just isn't hungry, and then it goes into Inventory. It can then be used to feed children, or an unexpected dinner guest.