From the desk of Miss Know-All: The difference between warranty and guarantee...

(Published on 22 August 2006 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

I bought an electric kettle as a gift for an old Aunt who resides in a hill station. It will be useful by her bedside, as she would not need to get up in the cold, to heat up water for herself. Though a favourite Aunt, one always hesitates to visit her. An acidic tongue, she always has lots to say… whether it is about my gaining too much weight or loosing too much weight… about my skin looking lifeless or my hair looking limp. At eighty five – one always let her take the liberty of passing remarks that would have otherwise been sternly dealt with.

I gave her a warm hug and settled by her rocking chair as I handed her the gift along with a bottle of brandy as I enquired after her arthritis. She chose not to reply as she read the text on the box of the electric kettle with great interest. “So does this have a guarantee card or a warranty card?” she enquired. I squirmed for I hadn’t a clue. I tried to glance at the box in her hand – for some telltale signs … but it was a futile exercise. The only way out was to admit I hadn’t a clue and was not even too sure about the difference between warranty and guarantee. What followed was a volley of accusations of being a careless and irresponsible consumer who was unaware of my consumer rights. I retrieved myself and my battered ego from there and went straight to a lawyer friend’s house. So what indeed is the difference between warranty and guarantee?

A warranty is a promise given and is usually a written assurance for a product and declares the manufacturer’s responsibility to repair or replace a defective product or its parts. It means that the service is perfect when the contract is performed and the manufacturer is liable for this. The period commences on the day of acceptance of the goods. A guarantee on the other hand is an agreement assuming responsibility to perform, execute, or complete something and offers security for that agreement. It is an assurance that attests to the quality or durability of a product or service, or a pledge that something will be performed in a specified manner.

Flummoxed? Well sweeties for once I must admit – so was I! My friend elaborated and slowly the difference dawned. The fundamental difference is that a guarantee is generally a short term pledge. “We guarantee that you will be satisfied or your money back”. While a warranty is a long term contract, it is generally based on the quality of the product and its longevity rather than just simple satisfaction. This means that if you do every thing the manufacturer tells you to do and do it in the specified time frame then they will repair a quality defect at no cost to the consumer. The other type of guarantee involves the financial aspect of the transaction rather than the quality. In this type of guarantee, the buyer is given a promise of getting his money back in the event of a failure in satisfaction over a longer term.

Well, it will be some time till I visit my old Aunt again. But if it wasn’t for her I would not be wiser today. Obeisance from one Miss Know All to a very senior and seasoned Miss Know All!

Miss Know-All
wow@dailymirror.wnl.lk