diff --git a/consumer.go b/consumer.go
index 8a3ca6f02..20adc862d 100644
--- a/consumer.go
+++ b/consumer.go
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ type partitionConsumer struct {
 	feeder   chan *FetchResponse
 
 	trigger, dying chan none
-	dispatchReason error
+	responseResult error
 
 	fetchSize           int32
 	offset              int64
@@ -402,24 +402,7 @@ func (child *partitionConsumer) HighWaterMarkOffset() int64 {
 
 func (child *partitionConsumer) responseFeeder() {
 	for response := range child.feeder {
-		switch err := child.handleResponse(response); err {
-		case nil:
-			break
-		case ErrOffsetOutOfRange:
-			// there's no point in retrying this it will just fail the same way again
-			// so shut it down and force the user to choose what to do
-			Logger.Printf("consumer/%s/%d shutting down because %s\n", child.topic, child.partition, err)
-			child.sendError(err)
-			child.AsyncClose()
-		case ErrUnknownTopicOrPartition, ErrNotLeaderForPartition, ErrLeaderNotAvailable:
-			// these three are not fatal errors, but do require redispatching
-			child.dispatchReason = err
-		default:
-			// dunno, tell the user and try redispatching
-			child.sendError(err)
-			child.dispatchReason = err
-		}
-
+		child.responseResult = child.handleResponse(response)
 		child.broker.acks.Done()
 	}
 
@@ -569,7 +552,10 @@ func (bc *brokerConsumer) subscriptionConsumer() {
 
 	// the subscriptionConsumer ensures we will get nil right away if no new subscriptions is available
 	for newSubscriptions := range bc.newSubscriptions {
-		bc.updateSubscriptionCache(newSubscriptions)
+		for _, child := range newSubscriptions {
+			bc.subscriptions[child] = none{}
+			Logger.Printf("consumer/broker/%d added subscription to %s/%d\n", bc.broker.ID(), child.topic, child.partition)
+		}
 
 		if len(bc.subscriptions) == 0 {
 			// We're about to be shut down or we're about to receive more subscriptions.
@@ -591,16 +577,12 @@ func (bc *brokerConsumer) subscriptionConsumer() {
 			child.feeder <- response
 		}
 		bc.acks.Wait()
+		bc.handleResponses()
 	}
 }
 
-func (bc *brokerConsumer) updateSubscriptionCache(newSubscriptions []*partitionConsumer) {
-	// take new subscriptions, and abandon subscriptions that have been closed
-	for _, child := range newSubscriptions {
-		bc.subscriptions[child] = none{}
-		Logger.Printf("consumer/broker/%d added subscription to %s/%d\n", bc.broker.ID(), child.topic, child.partition)
-	}
-
+func (bc *brokerConsumer) handleResponses() {
+	// handles the response codes left for us by our subscriptions, and abandons ones that have been closed
 	for child := range bc.subscriptions {
 		select {
 		case <-child.dying:
@@ -608,13 +590,32 @@ func (bc *brokerConsumer) updateSubscriptionCache(newSubscriptions []*partitionC
 			close(child.trigger)
 			delete(bc.subscriptions, child)
 		default:
-			if child.dispatchReason != nil {
+			switch child.responseResult {
+			case nil:
+				break
+			case ErrOffsetOutOfRange:
+				// there's no point in retrying this it will just fail the same way again
+				// shut it down and force the user to choose what to do
+				child.sendError(child.responseResult)
+				Logger.Printf("consumer/%s/%d shutting down because %s\n", child.topic, child.partition, child.responseResult)
+				close(child.trigger)
+				delete(bc.subscriptions, child)
+			case ErrUnknownTopicOrPartition, ErrNotLeaderForPartition, ErrLeaderNotAvailable:
+				// not an error, but does need redispatching
+				Logger.Printf("consumer/broker/%d abandoned subscription to %s/%d because %s\n",
+					bc.broker.ID(), child.topic, child.partition, child.responseResult)
+				child.trigger <- none{}
+				delete(bc.subscriptions, child)
+			default:
+				// dunno, tell the user and try redispatching
+				child.sendError(child.responseResult)
 				Logger.Printf("consumer/broker/%d abandoned subscription to %s/%d because %s\n",
-					bc.broker.ID(), child.topic, child.partition, child.dispatchReason)
-				child.dispatchReason = nil
+					bc.broker.ID(), child.topic, child.partition, child.responseResult)
 				child.trigger <- none{}
 				delete(bc.subscriptions, child)
 			}
+
+			child.responseResult = nil
 		}
 	}
 }