diff --git a/catalogue/OracleCatalogue.cpp b/catalogue/OracleCatalogue.cpp
index 96bb60295604de47b7193c85fbf27f8dda440c02..d014d4994f230ab91cef499a4a656d1d03b80dd3 100644
--- a/catalogue/OracleCatalogue.cpp
+++ b/catalogue/OracleCatalogue.cpp
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ void OracleCatalogue::filesWrittenToTape(const std::set<TapeFileWritten> &events
       checkTapeFileWrittenFieldsAreSet(firstEvent);
 
       if (event.vid != firstEvent.vid) {
-        throw exception::Exception(std::string("VID mismatch: expected=") + firstEvent.vid + " actual=event.vid");
+        throw exception::Exception(std::string("VID mismatch: expected=") + firstEvent.vid + " actual=" + event.vid);
       }
 
       if (expectedFSeq != event.fSeq) {
diff --git a/catalogue/SqliteCatalogue.cpp b/catalogue/SqliteCatalogue.cpp
index 27c77f6871912a2419dd25b822f8969d9ca153b9..f896350a1ffef46adca07cdf416af2707d850e0e 100644
--- a/catalogue/SqliteCatalogue.cpp
+++ b/catalogue/SqliteCatalogue.cpp
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ void SqliteCatalogue::filesWrittenToTape(const std::set<TapeFileWritten> &events
       checkTapeFileWrittenFieldsAreSet(firstEvent);
 
       if(event.vid != firstEvent.vid) {
-        throw exception::Exception(std::string("VID mismatch: expected=") + firstEvent.vid + " actual=event.vid");
+        throw exception::Exception(std::string("VID mismatch: expected=") + firstEvent.vid + " actual=" + event.vid);
       }
 
       if(expectedFSeq != event.fSeq) {