Guarantee/Warrantee

[Wispy68]

What's the difference between a guarantee and a warrantee?

[sft42]

Very little if any, a guarantee is defined as a formal assurance that goods or services will meet a certain standard, specification or level of quality. A warranty was originally used in property law but when applied to goods it has the same definition as above.

[gabennett]

Much as I hate to differ, it's not strictly correct to say that a warranty and a guarantee are the same things nowadays.

A warranty is a promise that, in the event of something happening, the seller will do something specific. If you buy a fridge, for example, you will get a guarantee and a warranty. The guarantee will generally be that the fridge will live up to certain standards (ie. keep your food cold), and the guarantee period can often be a long time (up to three years is possible, depending on the nature of the goods). In the event that your fridge breaks down during the warranty period (normally about 3 months for electrical items) then the seller will generally promise to repair or replace the item for free. The warranty is the promise to repair or replace.

One more thing...if everything goes pear shaped during the warranty period then you would have two separate claims - one for breach of the guarantee (ie. the fridge heated your food up!) and the other for breach of warranty (ie. the seller failed to repair or replace it). You would be able to choose which - you would generally go for the breach of warranty, as the standard of proof is easier.