diff --git a/src/components/structures/UserView.js b/src/components/structures/UserView.js
index 4321aaccb9..2fe9c0937c 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/UserView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/UserView.js
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ import React from "react";
 import Matrix from "matrix-js-sdk";
 import MatrixClientPeg from "../../MatrixClientPeg";
 import sdk from "../../index";
-
+import Modal from '../../Modal';
+import { _t } from '../../languageHandler';
 
 export default class UserView extends React.Component {
     static get propTypes() {
@@ -51,7 +52,11 @@ export default class UserView extends React.Component {
         try {
             profileInfo = await cli.getProfileInfo(this.props.userId);
         } catch (err) {
-            // show dialog or error or something
+            const ErrorDialog = sdk.getComponent('dialogs.ErrorDialog');
+            Modal.createTrackedDialog(_t('Could not load user profile'), '', ErrorDialog, {
+                title: _t('Could not load user profile'),
+                description: ((err && err.message) ? err.message : _t("Operation failed")),
+            });
             this.setState({loading: false});
             return;
         }
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index 5c813b1ae6..d5fb42160b 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -1402,6 +1402,7 @@
     "Uploading %(filename)s and %(count)s others|other": "Uploading %(filename)s and %(count)s others",
     "Uploading %(filename)s and %(count)s others|zero": "Uploading %(filename)s",
     "Uploading %(filename)s and %(count)s others|one": "Uploading %(filename)s and %(count)s other",
+    "Could not load user profile": "Could not load user profile",
     "Failed to send email": "Failed to send email",
     "The email address linked to your account must be entered.": "The email address linked to your account must be entered.",
     "A new password must be entered.": "A new password must be entered.",