guarantee vs warranty

The words are often used carelessly as synonyms but in the UK they have distinct legal meanings...

A guarantee:

* Is usually free

* It's a promise to sort out any defects with a product or service within a fixed period of time

* It's a legally binding contract, even if you didn't pay for it

* It must explain how to go about making a claim in a way that is easy to understand

* It should add to, not take away from, your rights under consumer law

* It works whether or not you have a warranty

A warranty:

* A warranty is like an insurance policy for which you must pay a premium.

* Sometimes it's called an 'extended guarantee'.

* It might cover a longer period than a guarantee, and it might cover a wider range of problems.

* A warranty is a legal contract, so you can take the company to court if they don't honour it.

* The terms of the contract should be clear and fair.

* Having a warranty doesn't diminish your rights under consumer law.

* A warranty can run alongside a guarantee.

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Thanks, Contrex, for the detailed reply.

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A brief addendum:

guarantee: Can be used as either a noun or a verb.*
warranty: Used as a noun only

*Example of usage in a non-legal context: "Although you have the reputation for giving dull parties, I would attend one if you would guarantee a gaggle of giggling girls, a line of dancing boys, and all the champagne I could pour down my massive maw."

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Aa wrote:

warranty: Used as a noun only

But if you look in a dictionary you'll find that there is a verb "to warrant".

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Yes, of course "to warrant" is a verb, but the querist asked only about the word "warranty" itself, not all its related forms.

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Aa wrote:

Yes, of course "to warrant" is a verb, but the querist asked only about the word "warranty" itself, not all its related forms.

Indeed. I was not suggesting that you made an error! However, what is a "querist"? Shocked

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Hi Contrex

Your reply fits what I wanted to know.

Regarding 'querist', I too was surprised to see such a word. It seems there is no such word. But when I referred to the dictionary, I found the following definition:

One who inquires, or asks questions

Best regards

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Yoong Liat wrote:

Regarding 'querist', I too was surprised to see such a word. It seems there is no such word. But when I referred to the dictionary, I found the following definition:

One who inquires, or asks questions

I have learned two things...

(1) That there is such a word as 'querist'.

(2) That I should check carefully before posting that another person has made an error!

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Hi Contrex

It's true. Sometimes what we think is wrong is correct. Whenever I come across a word which I do not know, I'll always refer to a dictionary.

I often see the word 'poster', which is not found in my dictionaries. I wonder why it is so commonly used.

Best wishes.

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Yoong Liat wrote:

I often see the word 'poster', which is not found in my dictionaries. I wonder why it is so commonly used.

There speaks a prescriptivist!

You should look further. The American Heritage Dictionary gives:

poster

NOUN:

1.
1. A large, usually printed placard, bill, or announcement, often illustrated, that is posted to advertise or publicize something.

2. An artistic work, often a reproduction of an original painting or photograph, printed on a large sheet of paper.

2. One that posts bills or notices.

One posts entries in ledgers and notices on noticeboards (online or not)

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Hi Contrex

I think it is BrE vs AmE.

If you refer to a dictionary on British English, I believe the word is not there.

It is not in my dictionaries.

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Yoong Liat wrote:

Hi Contrex

I think it is BrE vs AmE.

Many web and computer terms are from AmE, and, I am afraid that, like it or not, we must bow to the inevitable.

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contrex wrote:

Yoong Liat wrote:
Hi Contrex

I think it is BrE vs AmE.

Many web and computer terms are from AmE, and, I am afraid that, like it or not, we must bow to the inevitable.

I agree with you. I notice that some words which were originally used in American English have been accepted by the British. For example, 'realize' was once the American version, but now the British have accepted it as the preferred spelling for 'realise'.

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Yoong Liat wrote:

For example, 'realize' was once the American version, but now the British have accepted it as the preferred spelling for 'realise'.

I doubt that very much! What evidence do you have for that assertion? To use an idiomatic phrase, it's news to me! The -ize versions of certain words usually spelt -ise have always been permitted alternatives in BrE but to my knowledge, they have not yet taken over!

Quote:

realize, UK USUALLY realise

- Cambridge Advanced learner's Dictionary

About your previous point concerning words not being found in BrE dictionaries, you are aware that new editions are published periodically?

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Hi Contrex

1. realize (BrE also -ise)
(Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

2. realise See realize
realize In BRIT, also use realise
(Collins Cobuild Dictionary for Advanced Learners)

3. realize also -ise BrE
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

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You have not shown that "realize" is now the accepted spelling in BrE -- it is not -- merely that is an accepted spelling, which it always has been.

That you have made such an error should serve as an awful warning of blind dependence upon dictionaries!

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contrex wrote:

You have not shown that "realize" is now the accepted spelling in BrE -- it is not -- merely that is an accepted spelling, which it always has been.

That you have made such an error should serve as an awful warning of blind dependence upon dictionaries!

When I was in Grade 1 many, many years ago, I was taught that words ending in 'ize' was the American version. They include 'realise'.

I've a copy of Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary, which is a very old edition. The word 'realize' is not in it. Instead, only 'realise' can be found.

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Thanks guys.

I learnt a lot from you all.

I got :

- the difference between guarantee and warranty
- querist and
- poster.

I at first thought that "poster" is Indonesian.

How about "durian"? Is that word originated from English?

Please correct me if I make mistakes.
I'm learning English.

Thank you very much.

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Mr Nice wrote:

Thanks guys.

I at first thought that "poster" is (should be 'was' because of 'thought') Indonesian.

How about "durian"? Is that word originated from English?

Thank you very much.

Durian is from the Malay language, from duri 'thorn'. It dates back to the 16th century.

Durian cannot be found in most dictionaries.

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