diff --git a/src/riak_kv_qry.erl b/src/riak_kv_qry.erl
index fcbe3b338d..ba6ef853bc 100644
--- a/src/riak_kv_qry.erl
+++ b/src/riak_kv_qry.erl
@@ -172,9 +172,10 @@ xlate_insert_to_putdata(Values, Positions, Empty) ->
         {PutData, [], _} ->
             {ok, lists:reverse(PutData)};
         {_, Errors, _} ->
-            {error, io_lib:format(
-                      "too many values in row index(es) ~s",
-                      [string:join(lists:reverse(Errors), ", ")])}
+            {error, lists:flatten(
+                      io_lib:format(
+                        "too many values in row index(es) ~s",
+                        [string:join(lists:reverse(Errors), ", ")]))}
     end.
 
 -spec make_insert_row([] | [riak_ql_ddl:data_value()], [] | [pos_integer()], tuple()) ->
@@ -300,14 +301,15 @@ describe_table_columns_test() ->
             " p double,"
             " PRIMARY KEY ((f, s, quantum(t, 15, m)), "
             " f, s, t))")),
-    ?assertMatch(
-       do_describe(DDL),
-       {ok, {_ColNames, _ColTypes,
-             [[<<"f">>, <<"varchar">>,   false, 1,  1],
-              [<<"s">>, <<"varchar">>,   false, 2,  2],
-              [<<"t">>, <<"timestamp">>, false, 3,  3],
-              [<<"w">>, <<"sint64">>, false, undefined, undefined],
-              [<<"p">>, <<"double">>, true,  undefined, undefined]]}}).
+    {ok, {_ColNames, _CTypes, Rows}} = do_describe(DDL),
+    ?assertEqual(
+       [[<<"f">>, <<"varchar">>,   false, 1,  1],
+        [<<"s">>, <<"varchar">>,   false, 2,  2],
+        [<<"t">>, <<"timestamp">>, false, 3,  3],
+        [<<"w">>, <<"sint64">>, false, undefined, undefined],
+        [<<"p">>, <<"double">>, true,  undefined, undefined]],
+       Rows).
+
 validate_make_insert_row_basic_test() ->
     Data = [{integer,4}, {binary,<<"bamboozle">>}, {float, 3.14}],
     Positions = [3, 1, 2],
diff --git a/src/riak_kv_ts_svc.erl b/src/riak_kv_ts_svc.erl
index e8041985de..4ef3a132d5 100644
--- a/src/riak_kv_ts_svc.erl
+++ b/src/riak_kv_ts_svc.erl
@@ -643,11 +643,11 @@ validate_rows_bad_2_test() ->
     {module, Mod} = test_helper_validate_rows_mod(),
     ?assertEqual(
         ["1", "3", "4"],
-        riak_kv_ts_util:validate_rows(Mod, [{}, {<<"f">>, <<"s">>, 11}, {a, <<"s">>, 12}, "hithere"])
+        riak_kv_ts_util:validate_rows(Mod, [{}, {<<"f">>, <<"s">>, 11}, {a, <<"s">>, 12}, {"hithere"}])
     ).
 
 validate_rows_error_response_1_test() ->
-    Msg = "Invalid data found at row index(es) ",
+    Msg = "Invalid data at row index(es) ",
     ?assertEqual(
         #rpberrorresp{errcode = ?E_IRREG,
                       errmsg = Msg ++ "1" },
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ validate_rows_error_response_1_test() ->
     ).
 
 validate_rows_error_response_2_test() ->
-    Msg = "Invalid data found at row index(es) ",
+    Msg = "Invalid data at row index(es) ",
     ?assertEqual(
         #rpberrorresp{errcode = ?E_IRREG,
                       errmsg = Msg ++ "1, 2, 3" },