diff --git a/dashboard/src/views/email.html b/dashboard/src/views/email.html
index 443e8bc1d..c0904de8c 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/views/email.html
+++ b/dashboard/src/views/email.html
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@
                     {{ user.username }}
                   </td>
                   <td>
+                    <p ng-show="user.aliases !== user.orig.aliases && user.error" class="text-danger"><b>{{ user.error }}</b></p>
                     <tag-input ng-show="user.mailboxEnabled" placeholder="add alias" taglist="user.aliases" name="aliases"></tag-input>
                   </td>
                   <td class="text-right no-wrap">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/views/email.js b/dashboard/src/views/email.js
index 687d806c0..76d38b73b 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/views/email.js
+++ b/dashboard/src/views/email.js
@@ -90,13 +90,19 @@ angular.module('Application').controller('EmailController', ['$scope', '$locatio
 
         submit: function (user) {
             user.busy = true;
+            user.error ='';
 
             var aliases = user.aliases.split(',').map(function (a) { return a.trim(); }).filter(function (a) { return !!a; });
 
             function done(error) {
                 user.busy = false;
 
-                if (error) {
+                if (error && error.statusCode === 409) {
+                    var alias = error.message.match(RegExp('\'(.*)-' + $scope.selectedDomain.domain + '\''))[1];
+                    user.error = alias + '@' + $scope.selectedDomain.domain + ' already exists';
+                    console.log('clearly hit', user.error)
+                    return;
+                } else if (error) {
                     console.error('Unable to configure mailbox.', error);
                     return;
                 }