diff --git a/src/xmpp/iq.c b/src/xmpp/iq.c
index 6bb2e8a5..8fcd8b7b 100644
--- a/src/xmpp/iq.c
+++ b/src/xmpp/iq.c
@@ -261,7 +261,16 @@ static int
 _manual_pong_handler(xmpp_conn_t *const conn, xmpp_stanza_t * const stanza,
     void * const userdata)
 {
-    xmpp_ctx_t * const ctx = connection_get_ctx();
+    char *from = xmpp_stanza_get_attribute(stanza, STANZA_ATTR_FROM);
+    char *type = xmpp_stanza_get_type(stanza);
+
+    // handle error responses
+    if (g_strcmp0(type, STANZA_TYPE_ERROR) == 0) {
+        char *error_message = stanza_get_error_message(stanza);
+        handle_ping_error_result(from, error_message);
+        free(error_message);
+        return 0;
+    }
 
     GDateTime *sent = (GDateTime *)userdata;
     GDateTime *now = g_date_time_new_now_local();
@@ -272,46 +281,6 @@ _manual_pong_handler(xmpp_conn_t *const conn, xmpp_stanza_t * const stanza,
     g_date_time_unref(sent);
     g_date_time_unref(now);
 
-    char *from = xmpp_stanza_get_attribute(stanza, STANZA_ATTR_FROM);
-    char *type = xmpp_stanza_get_type(stanza);
-
-    // handle error responses
-    if (g_strcmp0(type, STANZA_TYPE_ERROR) == 0) {
-        xmpp_stanza_t *error = xmpp_stanza_get_child_by_name(stanza, STANZA_NAME_ERROR);
-
-        // no error stanza
-        if (error == NULL) {
-            handle_ping_error_result(from, NULL);
-            return 0;
-        }
-
-        // no children of error stanza
-        xmpp_stanza_t *error_child = xmpp_stanza_get_children(error);
-        if (error_child == NULL) {
-            handle_ping_error_result(from, NULL);
-            return 0;
-        }
-
-        // text child found
-        xmpp_stanza_t *error_text_stanza = xmpp_stanza_get_child_by_name(error, STANZA_NAME_TEXT);
-        if (error_text_stanza != NULL) {
-            char *error_text = xmpp_stanza_get_text(error_text_stanza);
-
-            // text found
-            if (error_text != NULL) {
-                handle_ping_error_result(from, error_text);
-                xmpp_free(ctx, error_text);
-                return 0;
-            }
-
-        // no text child found
-        } else {
-            char *error_child_name = xmpp_stanza_get_name(error_child);
-            handle_ping_error_result(from, error_child_name);
-            return 0;
-        }
-    }
-
     handle_ping_result(from, elapsed_millis);
 
     return 0;
diff --git a/src/xmpp/stanza.c b/src/xmpp/stanza.c
index e068eeed..654ba121 100644
--- a/src/xmpp/stanza.c
+++ b/src/xmpp/stanza.c
@@ -968,6 +968,8 @@ stanza_get_error_message(xmpp_stanza_t *stanza)
     if (error_stanza == NULL) {
         return strdup("unknown");
     } else {
+
+        // check for text child
         xmpp_stanza_t *text_stanza = xmpp_stanza_get_child_by_name(error_stanza, STANZA_NAME_TEXT);
 
         // check for text