diff --git a/lib/client.js b/lib/client.js
index 47feba2..f304913 100644
--- a/lib/client.js
+++ b/lib/client.js
@@ -90,13 +90,16 @@
 
     if (typeof error.error === 'string') {
       return error.error
-    } else if (error.response && error.response.result 
-      && error.response.result.error) {
-      const err = error.response.result.error
-      if (typeof err === 'string') {
-        return err
-      } else if (typeof err.error === 'string') {
-        return err.error
+    } else if (error.response && error.response.result) {
+      const result = error.response.result
+      if (result.error) {
+        if (typeof result.error === 'string') {
+          return result.error
+        } else if (typeof result.error.error === 'string') {
+          return result.error.error
+        } else if (result.error.statusCode) {
+          return `application error, status code: ${result.error.statusCode}`
+        }
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/test/unit/client.test.js b/test/unit/client.test.js
index 285c6e5..5526ed6 100644
--- a/test/unit/client.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/client.test.js
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@
   t.throws(() => client.handle_errors({error: { error: 'hello' }, options: { method, url }, statusCode }), `${method} ${url} Returned HTTP ${statusCode} (${http.STATUS_CODES[statusCode]}) --> "hello"`)
   t.throws(() => client.handle_errors({error: { response: { result: { error: 'hello' } } }, options: { method, url }, statusCode }), `${method} ${url} Returned HTTP ${statusCode} (${http.STATUS_CODES[statusCode]}) --> "hello"`)
   t.throws(() => client.handle_errors({error: { response: { result: { error: { error: 'hello' } } } }, options: { method, url }, statusCode }), `${method} ${url} Returned HTTP ${statusCode} (${http.STATUS_CODES[statusCode]}) --> "hello"`)
+  t.throws(() => client.handle_errors({error: { response: { result: { error: { statusCode: 404 } } } }, options: { method, url }, statusCode }), `${method} ${url} Returned HTTP ${statusCode} (${http.STATUS_CODES[statusCode]}) --> "application error, status code: ${404}"`)
 })
 
 test('should throw errors for non-HTTP response failures', t => {