Do you ever refuse to preliminarily assess certain tasks, and for what reasons?

Yes, there are situations where I refuse to provide an initial estimate for tasks. The main reasons are:

• Lack of information: if the task is described too abstractly or incompletely, it is impossible to accurately estimate the time and resources.
• Complexity or novelty of technology: if the task requires learning new tools or technologies, the estimate may be inaccurate.
• Dependence on external factors: when the task depends on other teams or external systems, the estimate becomes risky.

In such cases, it is better to request additional information or break the task into smaller parts for a more accurate estimate.