diff --git a/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/getChannelClaims.js b/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/getChannelClaims.js
index aec6f03e..a36e559b 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/getChannelClaims.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/getChannelClaims.js
@@ -1,22 +1,20 @@
 const db = require('../../../../models');
+
 const { returnPaginatedChannelClaims } = require('./channelPagination.js');
-const NO_CHANNEL = 'NO_CHANNEL';
 
 const getChannelClaims = (channelName, channelClaimId, page) => {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    let longChannelClaimId;
     // 1. get the long channel Id (make sure channel exists)
-    db.Certificate.getLongChannelId(channelName, channelClaimId)
-      .then(longChannelClaimId => {
-        if (!longChannelClaimId) {
-          return [null, null, null];
-        }
-        // 2. get the short ID and all claims for that channel
-        return Promise.all([longChannelClaimId, db.Claim.getAllChannelClaims(longChannelClaimId)]);
+    db.Certificate
+      .getLongChannelId(channelName, channelClaimId)
+      .then(result => {
+        longChannelClaimId = result;
+        return db
+          .Claim
+          .getAllChannelClaims(longChannelClaimId);
       })
-      .then(([longChannelClaimId, channelClaimsArray]) => {
-        if (!longChannelClaimId) {
-          return resolve(NO_CHANNEL);
-        }
+      .then(channelClaimsArray => {
         // 3. format the data for the view, including pagination
         let paginatedChannelViewData = returnPaginatedChannelClaims(channelName, longChannelClaimId, channelClaimsArray, page);
         // 4. return all the channel information and contents
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/index.js b/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/index.js
index 4c7b6777..473394b2 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/index.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/channel/claims/index.js
@@ -16,12 +16,15 @@ const channelClaims = ({ ip, originalUrl, body, params }, res) => {
   const page = params.page;
   getChannelClaims(channelName, channelClaimId, page)
     .then(data => {
-      if (data === NO_CHANNEL) {
-        return res.status(404).json({success: false, message: 'No matching channel was found'});
-      }
       res.status(200).json({success: true, data});
     })
     .catch(error => {
+      if (error === NO_CHANNEL) {
+        return res.status(404).json({
+          success: false,
+          message: 'No matching channel was found',
+        });
+      }
       handleErrorResponse(originalUrl, ip, error, res);
     });
 };
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/getChannelData.js b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/getChannelData.js
index 98c3a8d5..a0db2374 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/getChannelData.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/getChannelData.js
@@ -1,22 +1,18 @@
 const db = require('../../../../models');
-const NO_CHANNEL = 'NO_CHANNEL';
 
-const getChannelData = (channelName, channelClaimId, page) => {
+const getChannelData = (channelName, channelClaimId) => {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    let longChannelClaimId;
     // 1. get the long channel Id (make sure channel exists)
-    db.Certificate.getLongChannelId(channelName, channelClaimId)
-      .then(longChannelClaimId => {
-        if (!longChannelClaimId) {
-          return [null, null, null];
-        }
-        // 2. get the short ID and all claims for that channel
-        return Promise.all([longChannelClaimId, db.Certificate.getShortChannelIdFromLongChannelId(longChannelClaimId, channelName)]);
+    db.Certificate
+      .getLongChannelId(channelName, channelClaimId)
+      .then(fullClaimId => {
+        longChannelClaimId = fullClaimId;
+        return db
+          .Certificate
+          .getShortChannelIdFromLongChannelId(fullClaimId, channelName);
       })
-      .then(([longChannelClaimId, shortChannelClaimId]) => {
-        if (!longChannelClaimId) {
-          return resolve(NO_CHANNEL);
-        }
-        // 3. return all the channel information
+      .then(shortChannelClaimId => {
         resolve({
           channelName,
           longChannelClaimId,
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
index b52022f8..730549e5 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
@@ -14,14 +14,20 @@ const channelData = ({ ip, originalUrl, body, params }, res) => {
   const channelName = params.channelName;
   let channelClaimId = params.channelClaimId;
   if (channelClaimId === 'none') channelClaimId = null;
-  getChannelData(channelName, channelClaimId, 0)
+  getChannelData(channelName, channelClaimId)
     .then(data => {
-      if (data === NO_CHANNEL) {
-        return res.status(404).json({success: false, message: 'No matching channel was found'});
-      }
-      res.status(200).json({success: true, data});
+      res.status(200).json({
+        success: true,
+        data
+      });
     })
     .catch(error => {
+      if (error === NO_CHANNEL) {
+        return res.status(404).json({
+          success: false,
+          message: 'No matching channel was found',
+        });
+      }
       handleErrorResponse(originalUrl, ip, error, res);
     });
 };
diff --git a/server/models/certificate.js b/server/models/certificate.js
index 85a5bc50..723b5065 100644
--- a/server/models/certificate.js
+++ b/server/models/certificate.js
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, DECIMAL }) => {
         .then(result => {
           switch (result.length) {
             case 0:
-              throw new Error('No channel(s) found with that channel name');
+              return reject(NO_CHANNEL);
             default:
               return resolve(returnShortId(result, longChannelId));
           }