Service Guarantees: A Review and Explanation of Their Continued Rarity‪.‬

INTRODUCTION Few if any consumers would buy a new car or even a television without a written guarantee. Indeed, for some the strength of the offered guarantee relative becomes the key deciding factor in deciding which product to purchase. However these same consumers frequently buy service products, including relatively expensive products such as crusies and tour packages without a service guarantee. While many service managers and researchers advocate service guarantees, they remain rare. The fundamental question addressed in this research is why this is so.