What the difference between: guarantee and warranty?
When is the proper time use either one of these words?
4 Answers
Guarantee = a firm promise that you will do something or that something will happen...
Warranty = a written agreement in which a company selling something promises to repair or replace it if there is a problem within a particular period of time...
When you "guarantee", you basically say, "I promise that this is exactly as I say it is".
When you "warranty", you basically say, "I promise that if this is not exactly what I say it is, then I will fix it with my own money."
If you guarantee something, I have to "take you at your word", if you warranty something then you "put your money where your mouth is".
"Guarantee" is much more common in everyday speech. You will often hear one friend tell another friend "I guarantee that my car is faster than your car." (just an example) You would not hear the same guy say "I warranty that my car is faster than your car." It sounds hilarious as I'm typing it. However, warranties and guarantees are both used in the retail world. To a native speaker, "warranty" sounds much more official.
Actually, a guarantee is also a legal document, promising the guarantor to come up with their own money in the event the business or real estate project does not perform as projected. In this case, the bank's recourse would be beyond the value of the real estate or business to the borrower's personal financial resources or net worth.
Warranty (sometimes issued as a certificate) is usually associated with a consumer product and states that the product will work for a specified period of time in years or months or will be replaced or repaired at the manufacturer's expense.
