So wife took her Prius for "free" service.

I don't quite make the connection that somehow the 2 years of Toyota Care is a "scam" because you or your wife was talked into a alignment check.
You can say no.
IMO, free Oil Changes are free Oil Changes.
Of course many of these initial free service plans, are designed to bring you back to the dealership, hoping you will build a service department relationship with them. But they can't force you.
When I had my Prius I took advantage of "Toyota Care"...and the dealership never tried to up sell me any additional non-covered services.
The only somewhat hokey thing, was Toyota sells it as, for the first 2 years your maintenance is "free", but the recommended maintenance for that period is pretty much just Oil Changes and Tire Rotations. BUT?
I had no problem using the free "Toyota Care". And at the dealership I went to, nobody recommended anything beyond what was covered.

If you or your wife got talked into an unnecessary alignment check, and/or didn't ask for the complete paperwork or explanation of the results?
That doesn't mean "Toyota Care" is a scam. Just means you should of said....just do what is covered for free. And you should of insisted on full color copies of the alignment report....and a before an AFTER reading. What would concern me most, is there is no evidence anything was done even though the page itself "recommends" adjusting the camber.

 

i don't want a 'service department relationship'. if i did, i would buy a german car.

 

Same thing happened to me, told them I would think about alignment, still thinking, tires are wearing perfect. They like to get good marks on their satisfactory service preformed. So when I got my survey I give them bad marks for their high pressure to get front end alignment.

 

Yes it was a scam, some people, and especially a woman could get talked into this easier. I told them on the survey that if there was a problem with the front end then they needed to do a recall. They told me when I left after oil change that I could come in anytime for that front end alignment. I don't like to have to put up with this either. If they never checked the front end then how would they know it needed alignment. They didn't check the alignment, they just wanted $69.95

 

But you can understand from a marketing and simple business perspective why Toyota encourages this?
Just saying, Toyota Care, isn't a "scam". Not every dealer service department tries to up sell you on additional services, and if they do? You can always say No.
Toyota Care,-initial 2 year period, is a few free Oil Changes and a couple of Tire Rotations.
You can choose to take advantage of them. It's up to the owners.

 

absolutely. they do want to train you to come in every 5,000 miles and not go somewhere else after the freebies are over.
and you are correct, some dealers are better than others, as evidenced in this and other threads. unfortunately, good ones are hard to find in some area's.
i've been to 5 or 6 in 15 years with very poor results.

 

Our state has mandatory annual inspections. They are $16 anywhere but my preferred dealer offers inspections free for life when purchasing a vehicle from them. For me and my family, it is not worth the 150 mile drive, though.

 

Precisely.
But I get a feeling that this is another case of: My mind is made up; don't confuse me with facts.
Pretty much like Bisco's comment that followed.

 

I am glad my preferred salesman is the exception. In fact, we discussed the post-sales items in an impartial manner before we were passed on. The salesman brought up the subject. We were able to ask questions and were prepared when we went to post-sales and declined everything.

 

We have a local tyre depot that does 4-wheel alignment, they check it for free and only charge if it needs adjusting. They don't scam either, when I took my Ford Modeo in a few years back they checked it and said it was all ok, no charge. I took them a box of beers in the next day.