diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index 2632547..9bf89f0 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -61,46 +61,47 @@ GEM
       tzinfo (~> 2.0)
       zeitwerk (~> 2.3)
     base64 (0.3.0)
-    bootsnap (1.19.0)
+    bootsnap (1.24.6)
       msgpack (~> 1.2)
     builder (3.3.0)
     byebug (12.0.0)
-    concurrent-ruby (1.3.6)
-    crass (1.0.6)
+    concurrent-ruby (1.3.7)
+    crass (1.0.7)
     date (3.5.1)
     domain_name (0.6.20240107)
     erubi (1.13.1)
-    ffi (1.17.2-x86_64-linux-gnu)
-    globalid (1.3.0)
+    ffi (1.17.4-x86_64-linux-gnu)
+    globalid (1.4.0)
       activesupport (>= 6.1)
     http-accept (1.7.0)
-    http-cookie (1.1.0)
+    http-cookie (1.1.6)
       domain_name (~> 0.5)
-    i18n (1.14.7)
+    i18n (1.15.2)
       concurrent-ruby (~> 1.0)
-    listen (3.9.0)
+    listen (3.10.0)
+      logger
       rb-fsevent (~> 0.10, >= 0.10.3)
       rb-inotify (~> 0.9, >= 0.9.10)
     logger (1.7.0)
-    loofah (2.25.0)
+    loofah (2.25.1)
       crass (~> 1.0.2)
       nokogiri (>= 1.12.0)
-    mail (2.9.0)
+    mail (2.9.1)
       logger
       mini_mime (>= 0.1.1)
       net-imap
       net-pop
       net-smtp
-    marcel (1.1.0)
+    marcel (1.2.1)
     method_source (1.1.0)
     mime-types (3.7.0)
       logger
       mime-types-data (~> 3.2025, >= 3.2025.0507)
-    mime-types-data (3.2025.0924)
+    mime-types-data (3.2026.0701)
     mini_mime (1.1.5)
     minitest (5.27.0)
-    msgpack (1.8.0)
-    net-imap (0.5.13)
+    msgpack (1.8.3)
+    net-imap (0.5.15)
       date
       net-protocol
     net-pop (0.1.2)
@@ -113,10 +114,10 @@ GEM
     nio4r (2.7.5)
     nokogiri (1.18.10-x86_64-linux-gnu)
       racc (~> 1.4)
-    puma (7.1.0)
+    puma (8.0.2)
       nio4r (~> 2.0)
     racc (1.8.1)
-    rack (2.2.21)
+    rack (2.2.23)
     rack-test (2.2.0)
       rack (>= 1.3)
     rails (6.1.7.10)
@@ -138,8 +139,8 @@ GEM
       activesupport (>= 5.0.0)
       minitest
       nokogiri (>= 1.6)
-    rails-html-sanitizer (1.6.2)
-      loofah (~> 2.21)
+    rails-html-sanitizer (1.7.0)
+      loofah (~> 2.25)
       nokogiri (>= 1.15.7, != 1.16.7, != 1.16.6, != 1.16.5, != 1.16.4, != 1.16.3, != 1.16.2, != 1.16.1, != 1.16.0.rc1, != 1.16.0)
     railties (6.1.7.10)
       actionpack (= 6.1.7.10)
@@ -147,7 +148,7 @@ GEM
       method_source
       rake (>= 12.2)
       thor (~> 1.0)
-    rake (13.3.1)
+    rake (13.4.2)
     rb-fsevent (0.11.2)
     rb-inotify (0.11.1)
       ffi (~> 1.0)
@@ -156,7 +157,7 @@ GEM
       http-cookie (>= 1.0.2, < 2.0)
       mime-types (>= 1.16, < 4.0)
       netrc (~> 0.8)
-    spring (4.4.0)
+    spring (4.7.0)
     sprockets (4.2.2)
       concurrent-ruby (~> 1.0)
       logger
@@ -166,11 +167,11 @@ GEM
       activesupport (>= 6.1)
       sprockets (>= 3.0.0)
     sqlite3 (1.7.3-x86_64-linux)
-    thor (1.4.0)
-    timeout (0.6.0)
+    thor (1.5.0)
+    timeout (0.6.1)
     tzinfo (2.0.6)
       concurrent-ruby (~> 1.0)
-    websocket-driver (0.8.0)
+    websocket-driver (0.8.2)
       base64
       websocket-extensions (>= 0.1.0)
     websocket-extensions (0.1.5)
@@ -190,8 +191,5 @@ DEPENDENCIES
   sqlite3 (~> 1.4)
   tzinfo-data
 
-RUBY VERSION
-   ruby 3.1.6p260
-
 BUNDLED WITH
    2.3.27
diff --git a/app/services/search_service.rb b/app/services/search_service.rb
index 78fc536..c55bc92 100644
--- a/app/services/search_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/search_service.rb
@@ -10,35 +10,6 @@ def initialize(url, params={}, user_req)
     @user_req = user_req
   end
 
-  def post(url_ending, json)
-    # Add Basic Authentication header if credentials present
-    if Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch.present? &&
-      Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:user].present? &&
-      Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:password].present?
-      auth_hash = {
-        "Authorization" => "Basic " +
-          Base64::encode64(
-            Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:user] +
-            ":" + Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:password]
-          )
-      }
-      res = RestClient.post(
-        @url + "/" + url_ending,
-        json.to_json,
-        auth_hash.merge({ "content-type" => "json" })
-      )
-    else
-      res = RestClient.post(
-        @url + "/" + url_ending,
-        json.to_json,
-        {"content-type" => "json"}
-      )
-    end
-    JSON.parse(res.body)
-  rescue => e
-    e
-  end
-
   def search_collections
     req = {
       "aggs" => {
@@ -51,13 +22,7 @@ def search_collections
       },
       "size" => 0
     }
-    raw_res = post("_search", req)
-    if raw_res.class == RuntimeError
-      on_error(raw_res, req)
-    else
-      res = build_collections_response(raw_res)
-      on_success(req, res)
-    end
+    search(req)
   end
 
   def search_item(id)
@@ -75,36 +40,29 @@ def search_item(id)
     if @params["collection"].present?
       req["query"]["bool"]["must"] << { "term" => { "collection" => @params["collection"] } }
     end
-
-    raw_res = post("_search", req)
-    if raw_res.class == RuntimeError
-      on_error(raw_res, req)
-    elsif raw_res.class == RestClient::ExceptionWithResponse ||
-      raw_res.class == RestClient::BadRequest
-      on_error(JSON.parse(raw_res.response), req)
-    else
-      res = build_item_response(raw_res)
-      on_success(req, res)
-    end
+    search(req)
   end
 
   def search_items
     req = build_item_request
-    raw_res = post("_search", req)
-    if raw_res.class == RuntimeError
-      on_error(raw_res.inspect, req)
-    elsif raw_res.class == RestClient::ExceptionWithResponse ||
-      raw_res.class == RestClient::BadRequest
-      on_error(JSON.parse(raw_res.response), req)
-    else
-      res = build_item_response(raw_res)
-      on_success(req, res)
-    end
+    search(req)
   end
 
   protected
 
-  def on_error(error_msg, req, friendly_msg="Something went wrong")
+  def build_collections_response(res)
+    SearchCollRes.new(res).build_response
+  end
+
+  def build_item_request
+    SearchItemReq.new(@params).build_request
+  end
+
+  def build_item_response(res)
+    SearchItemRes.new(res).build_response
+  end
+
+  def on_error(error_msg, req, friendly_msg="Search service error")
     {
       "req" => {
         "query_string" => @user_req,
@@ -135,16 +93,56 @@ def on_success(req, res)
     json
   end
 
-  def build_collections_response(res)
-    SearchCollRes.new(res).build_response
-  end
-
-  def build_item_request
-    SearchItemReq.new(@params).build_request
+  def post(url_ending, json)
+    # Add Basic Authentication header if credentials present
+    if Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch.present? &&
+      Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:user].present? &&
+      Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:password].present?
+      auth_hash = {
+        "Authorization" => "Basic " +
+          Base64::encode64(
+            Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:user] +
+            ":" + Rails.application.credentials.elasticsearch[:password]
+          )
+      }
+      res = RestClient.post(
+        @url + "/" + url_ending,
+        json.to_json,
+        auth_hash.merge({ "content-type" => "json" })
+      )
+    else
+      res = RestClient.post(
+        @url + "/" + url_ending,
+        json.to_json,
+        {"content-type" => "json"}
+      )
+    end
+    res
+  rescue => e
+    e
   end
 
-  def build_item_response(res)
-    SearchItemRes.new(res).build_response
+  def search(req)
+    res = post("_search", req)
+    if res.class == RuntimeError
+      on_error(res.inspect, req,
+               "There was an error communicating with to the search service")
+    elsif res.class == RestClient::Forbidden
+      on_error(res.response, req,
+               "Communication with the search service was denied (40x "\
+               "Forbidden). Please try again soon.")
+    elsif res.class == RestClient::BadRequest
+      on_error(res.response, req,
+               "Something went wrong with the request to the search service. "\
+               "Check for a mix of smart and regular quotes in your search, "\
+               "as the search service cannot handle this.")
+    elsif res.class == RestClient::ExceptionWithResponse
+      on_error(JSON.parse(res.response), req,
+               "An error occurred while the search service tried to process "\
+               "your request.")
+    else
+      res = build_item_response(JSON.parse(res.body))
+      on_success(req, res)
+    end
   end
-
 end