diff --git a/services/httpd/handler.go b/services/httpd/handler.go
index 1dfaf6cd10..6eb5e251b8 100644
--- a/services/httpd/handler.go
+++ b/services/httpd/handler.go
@@ -675,7 +675,7 @@ func (h *Handler) serveWrite(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, user *meta.
 	} else if werr, ok := err.(tsdb.PartialWriteError); ok {
 		atomic.AddInt64(&h.stats.PointsWrittenOK, int64(len(points)-werr.Dropped))
 		atomic.AddInt64(&h.stats.PointsWrittenDropped, int64(werr.Dropped))
-		h.httpError(w, fmt.Sprintf("partial write: %v", werr), http.StatusBadRequest)
+		h.httpError(w, werr.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
 		return
 	} else if err != nil {
 		atomic.AddInt64(&h.stats.PointsWrittenFail, int64(len(points)))
@@ -686,7 +686,7 @@ func (h *Handler) serveWrite(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, user *meta.
 		atomic.AddInt64(&h.stats.PointsWrittenOK, int64(len(points)))
 		// The other points failed to parse which means the client sent invalid line protocol.  We return a 400
 		// response code as well as the lines that failed to parse.
-		h.httpError(w, fmt.Sprintf("partial write:\n%v", parseError), http.StatusBadRequest)
+		h.httpError(w, tsdb.PartialWriteError{Reason: parseError.Error()}.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
 		return
 	}
 
diff --git a/tsdb/shard.go b/tsdb/shard.go
index 3ad92d2609..e467663808 100644
--- a/tsdb/shard.go
+++ b/tsdb/shard.go
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ type PartialWriteError struct {
 }
 
 func (e PartialWriteError) Error() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%s dropped=%d", e.Reason, e.Dropped)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("partial write: %s dropped=%d", e.Reason, e.Dropped)
 }
 
 // Shard represents a self-contained time series database. An inverted index of
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ func (s *Shard) validateSeriesAndFields(points []models.Point) ([]models.Point,
 		fieldsToCreate []*FieldCreate
 		err            error
 		dropped        int
-		reason         string
+		reason         string // only first error reason is set unless returned from CreateSeriesListIfNotExists
 	)
 
 	// Create all series against the index in bulk.
@@ -553,6 +553,9 @@ func (s *Shard) validateSeriesAndFields(points []models.Point) ([]models.Point,
 		tags := p.Tags()
 		if v := tags.Get(timeBytes); v != nil {
 			dropped++
+			if reason == "" {
+				reason = fmt.Sprintf("invalid field name: input tag \"%s\" on measurement \"%s\" is invalid", "time", p.Name())
+			}
 			continue
 		}
 		keys[j] = p.Key()
@@ -597,6 +600,9 @@ func (s *Shard) validateSeriesAndFields(points []models.Point) ([]models.Point,
 
 		if !validField {
 			dropped++
+			if reason == "" {
+				reason = fmt.Sprintf("invalid field name: input tag \"%s\" on measurement \"%s\" is invalid", "time", p.Name())
+			}
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -646,7 +652,9 @@ func (s *Shard) validateSeriesAndFields(points []models.Point) ([]models.Point,
 				if f.Type != fieldType {
 					atomic.AddInt64(&s.stats.WritePointsDropped, 1)
 					dropped++
-					reason = fmt.Sprintf("%s: input field \"%s\" on measurement \"%s\" is type %s, already exists as type %s", ErrFieldTypeConflict, iter.FieldKey(), name, fieldType, f.Type)
+					if reason == "" {
+						reason = fmt.Sprintf("%s: input field \"%s\" on measurement \"%s\" is type %s, already exists as type %s", ErrFieldTypeConflict, iter.FieldKey(), name, fieldType, f.Type)
+					}
 					skip = true
 				} else {
 					continue // Field is present, and it's of the same type. Nothing more to do.
diff --git a/tsdb/shard_test.go b/tsdb/shard_test.go
index 833248f5d6..385dc0bf0f 100644
--- a/tsdb/shard_test.go
+++ b/tsdb/shard_test.go
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ func TestMaxSeriesLimit(t *testing.T) {
 	err = sh.WritePoints([]models.Point{pt})
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("expected error")
-	} else if exp, got := `max-series-per-database limit exceeded: (1000) dropped=1`, err.Error(); exp != got {
+	} else if exp, got := `partial write: max-series-per-database limit exceeded: (1000) dropped=1`, err.Error(); exp != got {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected error message:\n\texp = %s\n\tgot = %s", exp, got)
 	}
 
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ func TestShard_MaxTagValuesLimit(t *testing.T) {
 	err = sh.WritePoints([]models.Point{pt})
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("expected error")
-	} else if exp, got := `max-values-per-tag limit exceeded (1000/1000): measurement="cpu" tag="host" value="server9999" dropped=1`, err.Error(); exp != got {
+	} else if exp, got := `partial write: max-values-per-tag limit exceeded (1000/1000): measurement="cpu" tag="host" value="server9999" dropped=1`, err.Error(); exp != got {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected error message:\n\texp = %s\n\tgot = %s", exp, got)
 	}