diff --git a/rebench/rebenchdb.py b/rebench/rebenchdb.py
index 516ba613..914be1ea 100644
--- a/rebench/rebenchdb.py
+++ b/rebench/rebenchdb.py
@@ -83,9 +83,13 @@ def _send_payload(payload, url):
     def _get_api_version(self):
         url = self._server_base_url + '/results'
         req = HttpRequest(url, method='OPTIONS')
-        with urlopen(req) as socket:
-            response = socket.read()
-            return socket.getheader('X-ReBenchDB-Result-API-Version')
+        try:
+            with urlopen(req) as socket:
+                response = socket.read()
+                return socket.getheader('X-ReBenchDB-Result-API-Version')
+        except:
+            # some error, so no API version available
+            return None
 
     def convert_data_to_json(self, data):
         return json.dumps(data, separators=(',', ':'), ensure_ascii=True)
@@ -116,7 +120,7 @@ def _send_with_retries(self, payload_bytes, url):
                                + "{ind}{ind}" + str(te) + "\n")
                 return False, None
             except (IOError, HTTPException) as error:
-                if attempts > 0:
+                if error.status != 400 and attempts > 0:
                     # let's retry, the benchmark server might just time out, as usual
                     # but let it breath a little
                     self.ui.warning(
diff --git a/rebench/tests/mock_http_server.py b/rebench/tests/mock_http_server.py
index 1b65dc3b..06546de2 100644
--- a/rebench/tests/mock_http_server.py
+++ b/rebench/tests/mock_http_server.py
@@ -7,19 +7,19 @@
 
 class _RequestHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
     def do_GET(self):
-        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_response(self.server.status_code)
         self.end_headers()
         self.send_header("Content-Length", 0)
         self.server.get_requests += 1
 
     def do_PUT(self):
-        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_response(self.server.status_code)
         self.send_header("Content-Length", 0)
         self.end_headers()
         self.server.put_requests += 1
 
     def do_OPTIONS(self):
-        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_response(self.server.status_code)
         if self.server.api_v2:
             self.send_header("X-ReBenchDB-Result-API-Version", "2.0.0")
         self.send_header("Allow", "PUT")
@@ -38,19 +38,18 @@ def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         self.get_requests = 0
         self.options_requests = 0
         self.api_v2 = None
-
-    def set_api_v2(self, value):
-        self.api_v2 = value
+        self.status_code = 200
 
 
 class MockHTTPServer(object):
 
-    def __init__(self, api_v2 = True):
+    def __init__(self, api_v2 = True, test_error_handling = False):
         self._port = -1
         self._server = None
         self._thread = None
         self._is_shutdown = False
         self.api_v2 = api_v2
+        self._test_error_handling = test_error_handling
 
     def get_free_port(self):
         s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, type=socket.SOCK_STREAM)
@@ -63,7 +62,9 @@ def get_free_port(self):
 
     def start(self):
         self._server = HTTPServerWithCounter(('localhost', self._port), _RequestHandler)
-        self._server.set_api_v2(self.api_v2)
+        self._server.api_v2 = self.api_v2
+        if self._test_error_handling:
+            self._server.status_code = 400
 
         self._thread = Thread(target=self._server.serve_forever)
         self._thread.daemon = True
diff --git a/rebench/tests/persistency_test.py b/rebench/tests/persistency_test.py
index 453d64ad..6ad6425b 100644
--- a/rebench/tests/persistency_test.py
+++ b/rebench/tests/persistency_test.py
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def test_data_discarding(self):
 
     @skipIf(git_not_available() or git_repo_not_initialized(),
         "git source info not available, but needed for reporting to ReBenchDB")
-    def test_rebench_db(self):
+    def test_rebenchdb(self):
         option_parser = ReBench().shell_options()
         cmd_config = option_parser.parse_args(['--experiment=Test', 'persistency.conf'])
 
@@ -137,6 +137,22 @@ def test_rebench_db(self):
         finally:
             server.process_and_shutdown()
 
+    @skipIf(git_not_available() or git_repo_not_initialized(),
+        "git source info not available, but needed for reporting to ReBenchDB")
+    def test_rebenchdb_400_error(self):
+        option_parser = ReBench().shell_options()
+        cmd_config = option_parser.parse_args(['--experiment=Test', 'persistency.conf'])
+
+        server = MockHTTPServer(test_error_handling=True)
+
+        try:
+            self._exec_rebench_db(cmd_config, server)
+            server.process_and_shutdown()
+
+            self.assertEqual(1, server.get_number_of_put_requests())
+        finally:
+            server.process_and_shutdown()
+
     def test_disabled_rebench_db(self):
         option_parser = ReBench().shell_options()
         cmd_config = option_parser.parse_args(['--experiment=Test', '-R', 'persistency.conf'])