diff --git a/GPy/core/parameterization/parameter_core.py b/GPy/core/parameterization/parameter_core.py
index 0ecc1ebf..4edb0520 100644
--- a/GPy/core/parameterization/parameter_core.py
+++ b/GPy/core/parameterization/parameter_core.py
@@ -954,19 +954,30 @@ class Parameterizable(OptimizationHandlable):
         if ignore_added_names:
             self.__dict__[pname] = param
             return
+
+        def warn_and_retry():
+            print """
+            WARNING: added a parameter with formatted name {},
+            which is already assigned to {}.
+            Trying to change the parameter name to
+
+            {}.{}
+            """.format(pname, self.hierarchy_name(), self.hierarchy_name(), param.name + "_")
+            param.name += "_"
+            self._add_parameter_name(param, ignore_added_names)
         # and makes sure to not delete programmatically added parameters
         if pname in self.__dict__:
             if not (param is self.__dict__[pname]):
                 if pname in self._added_names_:
                     del self.__dict__[pname]
                     self._add_parameter_name(param)
+                else:
+                    warn_and_retry()
         elif pname not in dir(self):
             self.__dict__[pname] = param
             self._added_names_.add(pname)
         else:
-            print "WARNING: added a parameter with formatted name {}, which is already a member of {} object. Trying to change the parameter name to\n   {}".format(pname, self.__class__, param.name + "_")
-            param.name += "_"
-            self._add_parameter_name(param, ignore_added_names)
+            warn_and_retry()
 
     def _remove_parameter_name(self, param=None, pname=None):
         assert param is None or pname is None, "can only delete either param by name, or the name of a param"
diff --git a/GPy/core/parameterization/parameterized.py b/GPy/core/parameterization/parameterized.py
index eabd5a9c..e036d680 100644
--- a/GPy/core/parameterization/parameterized.py
+++ b/GPy/core/parameterization/parameterized.py
@@ -180,7 +180,10 @@ class Parameterized(Parameterizable):
         :param param: param object to remove from being a parameter of this parameterized object.
         """
         if not param in self.parameters:
-            raise RuntimeError, "Parameter {} does not belong to this object {}, remove parameters directly from their respective parents".format(param._short(), self.name)
+            try:
+                raise RuntimeError, "{} does not belong to this object {}, remove parameters directly from their respective parents".format(param._short(), self.name)
+            except AttributeError:
+                raise RuntimeError, "{} does not seem to be a parameter, remove parameters directly from their respective parents".format(str(param))
 
         start = sum([p.size for p in self.parameters[:param._parent_index_]])
         self._remove_parameter_name(param)
diff --git a/GPy/core/parameterization/variational.py b/GPy/core/parameterization/variational.py
index cf8d3067..9e0127a2 100644
--- a/GPy/core/parameterization/variational.py
+++ b/GPy/core/parameterization/variational.py
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class VariationalPosterior(Parameterized):
             n.input_dim = n.mean.shape[1] if n.ndim != 1 else 1
             return n
         else:
-            return super(VariationalPrior, self).__getitem__(s)
+            return super(VariationalPosterior, self).__getitem__(s)
 
 class NormalPosterior(VariationalPosterior):
     '''