diff --git a/src/flagd/demo.flagd.json b/src/flagd/demo.flagd.json
index a4b744af08..5501f38feb 100644
--- a/src/flagd/demo.flagd.json
+++ b/src/flagd/demo.flagd.json
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
         "API fetch error": "api_err",
         "off": "off"
       },
-      "defaultVariant": "Database timeout"
+      "defaultVariant": "API fetch error"
     },
     "slowRecommendationRegionSpan": {
       "description": "Create a slow 5sec span in the recommendation service (get_product_list) for the San Francisco region",
diff --git a/src/recommendation/recommendation_server.py b/src/recommendation/recommendation_server.py
index 1e4a4c5474..5b75f256f6 100644
--- a/src/recommendation/recommendation_server.py
+++ b/src/recommendation/recommendation_server.py
@@ -130,11 +130,11 @@ def get_product_list(request_product_ids):
                 time.sleep(10)
                 raise TimeoutError("Request to the database timed out")
             elif errs_enabled_value == "db_conn_err":
-                pass
+                raise ConnectionError("Unable to connect to the database")
             elif errs_enabled_value == "api_err":
-                pass
+                raise RuntimeError("Failed to fetch product info from external api")
             else:
-                pass
+                raise Exception("An unknown error occured")