Chain Alignment

Imagining that I would be 'Permanently-Fixed' did not take account of the passage of time and degeneration of the body.
Varicose Veins have been with me since my late teens and gradually worsened over the years culminating in Veinous Eczema. A post operation recovery break coupled with insufficient hours in the saddle has created a situation where I can no longer climb every hill.
My 'solution' [read: mistake in this case?] was to buy an IHG machine in an attempt to keep rolling up hill and down dale.

Out of the box the transmission had, IMHO, undue resistance to the Cranks being turned by hand against the Freewheel.
Slackening an over tight Chain made nil difference and so I put it down to a New [Branded] but cheap looking Chain and the possibility that the Alfine 8 Speed needed to be 'broken in'. Information on the Internet seems to have a bias toward the negative and whilst there are plenty of comments suggesting drag or whatever in Alfine 8 hubs there is no real balance with positive reports.

When climate and health permitted investigation it was found that the Chainwheel and Rear Sprocket are at an Angle to each other. That is not simply Offset and Parallel to each other, a situation that could be adjusted using appropriate Spacers. Adjusting the Chainwheel [away from the BB] made a very slight improvement but the Chain still has a 'sideways' curve between the two Cogs. A Rectangular Section Straight Edge clamped across the side face of either Cog reveals the Angle on the other component by touching one side of the face and leaving a Gap on the other side. Needless to say the inner faces of the Chain Links grind against the Inside Face of the Chainwheel and the Outside Face of the Rear Sprocket, slackening the Chain helps but fails to resolve the problem.

The Retailer and Manufacturer say that it is within 'specification' but decline to state details of that specification.
After requesting photographs of the problem the Retailer had the bike returned to their 'workshop'. Their operatives could find no fault, again declining to advise what procedures they had undertaken to come to that conclusion.

My understanding is that Chain Alignment of Single Cog Drives is very important, this begs the question:

Given that nothing is perfect, how much out of alignment is REALLY out of alignment and unacceptable?

Thanks for reading this far.

Permanently-Fixed [No More]