diff --git a/react/opentp-client/src/common/grpcUtilities.tsx b/react/opentp-client/src/common/grpcUtilities.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..655f108d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/react/opentp-client/src/common/grpcUtilities.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import { Error, StatusCode } from "grpc-web"
+
+
+export function getGrpcErrorMessage( error : Error, prepend?: string) : string {
+    if( prepend ) {
+        prepend = prepend + ": "
+    }
+
+    switch (error.code) {
+        case StatusCode.PERMISSION_DENIED:
+            return prepend + "Permission Denied"
+            
+            default:
+                return prepend + error.message
+    }    
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/react/opentp-client/src/components/Container/Container.tsx b/react/opentp-client/src/components/Container/Container.tsx
index 8923f2e1..a6a39644 100644
--- a/react/opentp-client/src/components/Container/Container.tsx
+++ b/react/opentp-client/src/components/Container/Container.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { Alignment, Button, Icon, Menu, MenuItem, Navbar, Popover, Position } from "@blueprintjs/core";
 import FlexLayout, { Layout, Model, TabNode } from "flexlayout-react";
 import "flexlayout-react/style/dark.css";
-import { Error } from "grpc-web";
+import { Error, StatusCode } from "grpc-web";
 import React, { ReactNode } from 'react';
 import log from 'loglevel';
 import { ClientConfigServiceClient } from "../../serverapi/ClientconfigserviceServiceClientPb";
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import ColumnChooser from "../TableView/ColumnChooser";
 import ViewNameDialog from "./ViewNameDialog";
 import { TicketController, ChildOrderBlotterController, OrderHistoryBlotterController, ExecutionsController, QuestionDialogController, ViewNameDialogController, ColumnChooserController } from "./Controllers";
 import { ListingContext, OrderContext } from "./Contexts";
+import { getGrpcErrorMessage } from "../../common/grpcUtilities";
 
 
 
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ enum Views {
 
 
 
+
 export default class Container extends React.Component<any, ContainerState> {
 
 
@@ -170,9 +172,11 @@ export default class Container extends React.Component<any, ContainerState> {
                     response: Empty) => {
 
                     if (err) {
-                        let msg = "error whilst cancelling all orders:" + err.message
+
+                        let msg = getGrpcErrorMessage(err, "Failed to cancel all orders")
                         log.error(msg)
                         alert(msg)
+
                     } else {
                         log.debug("cancelled all orders")
                     }
diff --git a/react/opentp-client/src/components/Login/Login.tsx b/react/opentp-client/src/components/Login/Login.tsx
index b499e56d..7d83aa83 100644
--- a/react/opentp-client/src/components/Login/Login.tsx
+++ b/react/opentp-client/src/components/Login/Login.tsx
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { LoginServiceClient } from "../../serverapi/LoginserviceServiceClientPb"
 import { LoginParams, Token } from "../../serverapi/loginservice_pb";
 import Container from "../Container/Container";
 import GrpcContextProvider from "../GrpcContextProvider";
+import { getGrpcErrorMessage } from "../../common/grpcUtilities";
 
 
 export interface Props {
@@ -113,7 +114,10 @@ export default class Login extends React.Component<Props, State> {
             response: Token) => {
 
             if (err) {
-                window.alert("Failed to login: " + err.message)
+                let msg = getGrpcErrorMessage(err, "Failed to login")
+
+                log.error(msg)
+                alert(msg)
             } else {
                 var deadline = new Date();
                 deadline.setSeconds(deadline.getSeconds() + 86400);
diff --git a/react/opentp-client/src/components/OrderTicket/OrderTicket.tsx b/react/opentp-client/src/components/OrderTicket/OrderTicket.tsx
index 318055e7..3e043f76 100644
--- a/react/opentp-client/src/components/OrderTicket/OrderTicket.tsx
+++ b/react/opentp-client/src/components/OrderTicket/OrderTicket.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { AnchorButton, Classes, Colors, Dialog, FormGroup, Intent, Label, NumericInput, MenuItem, Button } from '@blueprintjs/core';
-import { Error, StatusCode } from 'grpc-web';
+import { Error } from 'grpc-web';
 import React, { CSSProperties } from 'react';
 import { getListingLongName, getListingShortName, getTickSize } from '../../common/modelutilities';
 import log from 'loglevel';
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import { Select, ItemRenderer } from '@blueprintjs/select';
 import VwapParamsPanel from './Strategies/VwapParams/VwapParamsPanel';
 import { Destinations } from '../../common/destinations';
 import { getStrategyDisplayName } from '../../common/strategydescriptions';
+import { getGrpcErrorMessage } from '../../common/grpcUtilities';
 
 interface OrderTicketState {
   listing?: Listing,
@@ -508,9 +509,12 @@ export default class OrderTicket extends React.Component<OrderTicketProps, Order
 
       this.executionVenueService.modifyOrder(modifyParams, Login.grpcContext.grpcMetaData, (err: Error) => {
         if (err) {
-          let msg = "error whilst modifying order:" + err.message
+
+          let msg = getGrpcErrorMessage(err, "Failed to modify order")
+
           log.error(msg)
           alert(msg)
+
         }
       })
     } else {
@@ -551,14 +555,10 @@ export default class OrderTicket extends React.Component<OrderTicketProps, Order
         this.executionVenueService.createAndRouteOrder(croParams, Login.grpcContext.grpcMetaData, (err: Error,
           response: OrderId) => {
           if (err) {
-            let msg = "error whilst sending order:" + err.message
-            log.error(msg)
-            if (err.code === StatusCode.PERMISSION_DENIED) {
-              alert("permission denied")
-            } else {
-              alert(msg)
-            }
+            let msg = getGrpcErrorMessage(err, "Failed to send order")
 
+            log.error(msg)
+            alert(msg)
 
           } else {
             log.debug("create and route order created order with id:" + response.getOrderid())