diff --git a/lib/get-certificate.js b/lib/get-certificate.js
index 535108d..081b19f 100644
--- a/lib/get-certificate.js
+++ b/lib/get-certificate.js
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 'use strict';
 
 module.exports.create = function (deps) {
-  var NOOP=function () {}, log=NOOP;
   var request=deps.request;
   var toStandardB64 = deps.leUtils.toStandardB64;
   var importPemPrivateKey = deps.leCrypto.importPemPrivateKey;
@@ -16,6 +15,8 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps) {
   var Acme = deps.Acme;
 
   function getCert(options, cb) {
+    var NOOP = function () {};
+    var log = options.debug ? console.log : NOOP;
     var state={
       validatedDomains:[]
     , validAuthorizationUrls:[]
@@ -56,6 +57,47 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps) {
       return handleErr(err, 'Failed to parse privateKey');
     }
 
+    function bodyToError(res, body) {
+      var err;
+
+      if (!body) {
+        err = new Error("[Error] letiny-core: no request body");
+        err.code = "E_NO_RESPONSE_BODY";
+        throw err;
+      }
+
+      if ('{' === body[0] || '{' === String.fromCharCode(body[0])) {
+        try {
+          body = JSON.parse(body);
+        } catch(e) {
+          err = new Error("[Error] letiny-core: body could not be parsed");
+          err.code = "E_BODY_PARSE";
+          err.description = body;
+          throw err;
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (Math.floor(res.statusCode / 100) !== 2) {
+        err = new Error("[Error] letiny-core: not 200 ok");
+        err.code = "E_STATUS_CODE";
+        err.type = body.type
+        err.description = body;
+        err.detail = body.detail;
+        throw err;
+      }
+
+      if (body.type && body.detail) {
+        err = new Error("[Error] letiny-core: " + body.detail);
+        err.code = body.type;
+        err.type = body.type;
+        err.description = body.detail;
+        err.detail = body.detail;
+        throw err;
+      }
+
+      return body;
+    }
+
     nextDomain();
 
     function nextDomain() {
@@ -98,7 +140,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps) {
       state.authorizationUrl=res.headers.location;
       state.newCertUrl=links.next;
 
-      authz=JSON.parse(body);
+      authz=body;
 
       httpChallenges=authz.challenges.filter(function(x) {
         return x.type==='http-01';
@@ -136,11 +178,22 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps) {
         return handleErr(err, 'Authorization status request failed ('+res.statusCode+')');
       }
 
-      authz=JSON.parse(body);
+      authz=body;
 
       if (authz.status==='pending') {
         setTimeout(function() {
-          request.get(state.authorizationUrl, {}, function(err, res, body) {
+          request({
+            method: 'GET'
+          , url: state.authorizationUrl
+          }, function(err, res, body) {
+            if (!err && res.body) {
+              try {
+                body = bodyToError(res, body);
+              } catch(e) {
+                err = e;
+              }
+            }
+
             ensureValidation(err, res, body, unlink);
           });
         }, 1000);
@@ -172,12 +225,17 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps) {
     function downloadCertificate(err, res, body) {
       var links, certUrl;
 
-      if (err || Math.floor(res.statusCode/100)!==2) {
-        log('Certificate request failed with error ', err);
-        if (body) {
-          log(body.toString());
-        }
-        return handleErr(err, 'Certificate request failed');
+      if (err) {
+        handleErr(err, 'Certificate request failed');
+        return;
+      }
+
+      if (Math.floor(res.statusCode/100)!==2) {
+        err = new Error("invalid status code: " + res.statusCode);
+        err.code = "E_STATUS_CODE";
+        err.description = body;
+        handleErr(err);
+        return;
       }
 
       links=Acme.parseLink(res.headers.link);
@@ -189,33 +247,54 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps) {
 
       state.certificate=body;
       certUrl=res.headers.location;
-      request.get({
-        url:certUrl,
-        encoding:null
+      request({
+        method: 'GET'
+      , url: certUrl
+      , encoding: null
       }, function(err, res, body) {
+        if (!err) {
+          try {
+            body = bodyToError(res, body);
+          } catch(e) {
+            err = e;
+          }
+        }
+
         if (err) {
           return handleErr(err, 'Failed to fetch cert from '+certUrl);
         }
+
         if (res.statusCode!==200) {
           return handleErr(err, 'Failed to fetch cert from '+certUrl, res.body.toString());
         }
+
         if (body.toString()!==state.certificate.toString()) {
-          handleErr(null, 'Cert at '+certUrl+' did not match returned cert');
-        } else {
-          log('Successfully verified cert at '+certUrl);
-          log('Requesting issuer certificate...');
-          request.get({
-            url:links.up,
-            encoding:null
-          }, function(err, res, body) {
-            if (err || res.statusCode!==200) {
-              return handleErr(err, 'Failed to fetch issuer certificate');
-            }
-            state.caCert=certBufferToPem(body);
-            log('Requesting issuer certificate: done');
-            done();
-          });
+          return handleErr(null, 'Cert at '+certUrl+' did not match returned cert');
         }
+
+        log('Successfully verified cert at '+certUrl);
+        log('Requesting issuer certificate...');
+        request({
+          method: 'GET'
+        , url: links.up
+        , encoding: null
+        }, function(err, res, body) {
+          if (!err) {
+            try {
+              body = bodyToError(res, body);
+            } catch(e) {
+              err = e;
+            }
+          }
+
+          if (err || res.statusCode!==200) {
+            return handleErr(err, 'Failed to fetch issuer certificate');
+          }
+
+          state.caCert=certBufferToPem(body);
+          log('Requesting issuer certificate: done');
+          done();
+        });
       });
     }