If you want the luxury of choosing a specific seat, you then have the option of paying an additional $10 to be assigned the specific seat that you so desperately need.
Other airlines do this too - it's not unique to WestJet.
To be honest, if the flight was less than about 2 hours i'd probably take my chances as I boarded. More than 2 hours and i'd happily pay $10 to get a decent seat.
If you want the luxury of choosing a specific seat, you then have the option of paying an additional $10 to be assigned the specific seat that you so desperately need.
Other airlines do this too - it's not unique to WestJet.
To be honest, if the flight was less than about 2 hours i'd probably take my chances as I boarded. More than 2 hours and i'd happily pay $10 to get a decent seat.