diff --git a/debexpo/importer/importer.py b/debexpo/importer/importer.py
index 637be1309231d57fbf7077c20ccb196fd6e572f5..84e0253f632317aa637530e1b5bdceccc559c55d 100644
--- a/debexpo/importer/importer.py
+++ b/debexpo/importer/importer.py
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ class Importer(object):
 
         self._remove_files()
 
-        if self.user is not None:
+        if self.user is not None and self.user.email:
             email = Email('importer_fail_maintainer')
             package = self.changes.get('Source', '')
 
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ class Importer(object):
 
         self._remove_files()
 
-        if self.user is not None:
+        if self.user is not None and self.user.email:
             email = Email('importer_reject_maintainer')
             package = self.changes.get('Source', '')
 
diff --git a/debexpo/lib/email.py b/debexpo/lib/email.py
index 6f5238f377924c3e2f685d34c03f3417cbf259d5..25236162cd80b07d6ade77be5188082b6057b722 100644
--- a/debexpo/lib/email.py
+++ b/debexpo/lib/email.py
@@ -170,15 +170,21 @@ class Email(object):
         pylons.url._pop_object()
 
         if 'debexpo.testsmtp' in pylons.config:
-            self._save_as_file(recipients, message)
+            return self._save_as_file(recipients, message)
         else:
-            self._send_as_mail(recipients, message)
+            try:
+                return self._send_as_mail(recipients, message)
+            except (IOError, smtplib.SMTPException) as e:
+                log.critical('Failed to send email: {}'.format(e))
+                return False
 
     def _save_as_file(self, recipients, message):
         log.debug('Save email as file to %s' % self.server)
         with open(pylons.config['debexpo.testsmtp'], 'a') as email:
             email.write(message)
 
+        return True
+
     def _send_as_mail(self, recipients, message):
         log.debug('Starting SMTP session to %s:%s' % (self.server, self.port))
         session = smtplib.SMTP(self.server, self.port)
@@ -197,8 +203,10 @@ class Email(object):
                 log.critical('Failed sending to %s: %s, %s' %
                              (recipient, result[recipient][0],
                               result[recipient][1]))
-        else:
-            log.debug('Successfully sent')
+            return False
+
+        log.debug('Successfully sent')
+        return True
 
     def _check_error(self, msg, err, data=None):
         if err != 'OK':
diff --git a/debexpo/tests/test_email.py b/debexpo/tests/test_email.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..db68abe19d8074a0705e8071bd3606074db87ac5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debexpo/tests/test_email.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+#
+#   test_email.py - unit tests for Email
+#
+#   This file is part of debexpo
+#   https://salsa.debian.org/mentors.debian.net-team/debexpo
+#
+#   Copyright © 2020 Baptiste BEAUPLAT <lyknode@cilg.org>
+#
+#   Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
+#   obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation
+#   files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without
+#   restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+#   copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+#   copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
+#   Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following
+#   conditions:
+#
+#   The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
+#   included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+#
+#   THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
+#   EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES
+#   OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
+#   NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT
+#   HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
+#   WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
+#   FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR
+#   OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+
+__author__ = 'Baptiste BEAUPLAT'
+__copyright__ = 'Copyright © 2020 Baptiste BEAUPLAT'
+__license__ = 'MIT'
+
+import pylons.test
+
+from debexpo.lib.email import Email
+from debexpo.tests import TestController
+
+
+class TestEmail(TestController):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self._setup_models()
+
+        app_config = pylons.test.pylonsapp.config
+        self.testsmtp = app_config['debexpo.testsmtp']
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        pylons.test.pylonsapp.config['debexpo.testsmtp'] = self.testsmtp
+
+    def test_unreachable_smtp(self):
+        pylons.test.pylonsapp.config.pop('debexpo.testsmtp')
+
+        email = Email('importer_fail_admin')
+        self.assertEquals(email.send(['user@example.org'], message=''), False)