diff --git a/apps/app_voicemail.c b/apps/app_voicemail.c
index a306f9d60ee0cac2006de9b07d5c93ec85f6e32b..66094b2bd72e6fffe1f5e9bd3ec0a74af886ea9d 100644
--- a/apps/app_voicemail.c
+++ b/apps/app_voicemail.c
@@ -2014,7 +2014,7 @@ static const char *mbox(int id)
 #ifdef USE_ODBC_STORAGE
 static int messagecount(const char *mailbox, int *newmsgs, int *oldmsgs)
 {
-	int x = 0;
+	int x = -1;
 	int res;
 	SQLHSTMT stmt;
 	char sql[256];
@@ -2027,6 +2027,7 @@ static int messagecount(const char *mailbox, int *newmsgs, int *oldmsgs)
                 *newmsgs = 0;
         if (oldmsgs)
                 *oldmsgs = 0;
+
         /* If no mailbox, return immediately */
         if (ast_strlen_zero(mailbox))
                 return 0;
@@ -2118,7 +2119,7 @@ static int messagecount(const char *mailbox, int *newmsgs, int *oldmsgs)
 		SQLFreeHandle (SQL_HANDLE_STMT, stmt);
 		odbc_release_obj(obj);
 		*oldmsgs = atoi(rowdata);
-		x = 1;
+		x = 0;
 	} else
 		ast_log(LOG_WARNING, "Failed to obtain database object for '%s'!\n", odbc_database);