I work for a main dealer myself (not MINI) and for 1st march this is pretty standard practice as they're trying to get as many cars out as humanly possible in a short space of time, usually a dealer would only expect 3 or 4 handovers on a saturday whereas 1st march could be a lot more (we have 12 at the mo) so We always ask customers to come in during the week before to pay for the car , they can also see it while they're there. this speeds up the handover process on the day as its just then swopping cars. We too offer to deliver the car as well where possible as it again frees up space and time as we usually do this out of hours. Customers STILL get to sign a handover checksheet on the day of collection/delivery where any faults can be noted and subseuently rectifed (doesnt happen too often!). Its up to the individual realy, but I certainly wouldnt pay in ful for a car that i hadnt seen at all
Remember you are the customer and dealers shouldnt DEMAND anything, they should ask and explain the reasons why. Supadooper Jo is doing her docs the day before and paying the cash balance on the day, that should be how it works and i'm sure it was discussed with her and the dealer NOT demanded by them.
I'm sure if you told them to cancel as you didnt like the treatment you were getting they'd sing a different tune. Perhaps speak to the manager and explain your thoughts / feeling and see if they can be more flexible. Getting a new car should be a good experience for customer and dealer alike.
