Abstract
Service guarantees have the potential to transform service organizations. Despite their high potential value and some very successful examples they remain the exception rather than the rule for service organizations. Further, service guarantees can provide a unifying framework that brings together the service quality literature, the complaining literature, the service failure and recovery literature, and the relationship marketing/loyalty fields. This paper reviews the traditional warranty literature as well as the service guarantee literature with a focus on why service guarantees remain rare. Specific recommendations are given based on current practice and study to enhance service guarantees. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]