1. Summarize the problem
I work for an IT solutions provider and we always try to get the customer anything they inquire. We also want to avoid negative connotations with our brand, so we avoid telling them something is impossible to do and other phrases like that.
Our customer has inquired a workstation computer with some special requirements – which he expects to have met by the device I will quote him next week. The problem is that his requirements are impossible for me to guarantee to work (they should, but I can't be 100% sure). In my quotation text – how do I convey to him, that I cannot guarantee his requirements will be fulfilled without mentioning any sort of guarantees?
2. Provide details and any research
Our customer's IT department has a set standard of devices we are allowed to sell them from a certain manufacturer. The user that has inquired the machine is aware of this set IT standard however, he still expects his requirements to be met by it and (understandably) does not want to spend thousands of Euros on something that might not even work for his use case.
3. When appropriate, describe what you’ve tried
I would have gone for something like: "Manufacturer-X enables configuring Workstation-Model-Y according to our quotation to try to meet the mentioned requirements."
I really want to avoid the word "try" as well. But at the same time I want to have a written note on the quotation, making it 100% certain to them that there is no guarantee for their investment to work. At least not without them testing their use case on it, which is only possible after the purchase.
Any help is greatly appreciated. If you require any additional information, I am happy to provide it in an edit or comment.
Edit 1 (clarification): I am not looking for a synonym for "guarantee". I actually want to find a phrasing that avoids any of the synonyms for "guarantee" as well.
Best Answer
To the customer:
All work will be performed according to your specifications.
The hardware configuration that you requested has not been previously built and tested by us. We therefore cannot offer any estimates as to how well it will perform.
If you wish to modify the hardware configuration after having confirmed that it meets your original specification, regular service charges will apply.
There is nothing to stop a customer from ordering something different and taking a chance that it will work.
For anything more than this, you should get legal assistance. Some locations place limits on what consumer rights can be waived, so that putting a “non-guarantee” in a contract might not actually be enforceable.