diff --git a/tailbone/forms/core.py b/tailbone/forms/core.py
index c5ce1bb7..f5c2f28e 100644
--- a/tailbone/forms/core.py
+++ b/tailbone/forms/core.py
@@ -923,6 +923,16 @@ class Form(object):
             # https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/pyramid/en/latest/api/request.html#pyramid.request.Request.is_xhr
             if self.request.is_xhr:
                 controls = self.request.json_body.items()
+
+                # TODO: why in the hell is this necessary?  some colander forms
+                # won't validate if a `None` sneaks its way through?  note, in
+                # particular this was needed to allow anonymous user feedback
+                controls = [[key, val] for key, val in controls]
+                for i in range(len(controls)):
+                    key, value = controls[i]
+                    if value is None:
+                        controls[i][1] = ''
+
             else:
                 controls = self.request.POST.items()
 
diff --git a/tailbone/views/common.py b/tailbone/views/common.py
index 3dcc057d..084db0e9 100644
--- a/tailbone/views/common.py
+++ b/tailbone/views/common.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ from __future__ import unicode_literals, absolute_import
 import six
 
 import rattail
+from rattail.db import model
 from rattail.batch import consume_batch_id
 from rattail.mail import send_email
 from rattail.util import OrderedDict
@@ -45,13 +46,28 @@ from tailbone.views import View
 from tailbone.util import set_app_theme
 
 
+
+@colander.deferred
+def validate_user(node, kw):
+    session = kw['session']
+    def validate(node, value):
+        import ipdb; ipdb.set_trace()
+        user = session.query(model.User).get(value)
+        if not user:
+            raise colander.Invalid(node, "User not found")
+        return user.uuid
+    return validate
+
+
 class Feedback(colander.Schema):
     """
     Form schema for user feedback.
     """
     referrer = colander.SchemaNode(colander.String())
 
-    user = colander.SchemaNode(forms.types.UserType())
+    user = colander.SchemaNode(colander.String(),
+                               # missing=colander.null,
+                               validator=validate_user)
 
     user_name = colander.SchemaNode(colander.String(),
                                     missing=colander.null)
@@ -161,11 +177,13 @@ class CommonView(View):
         """
         Generic view to handle the user feedback form.
         """
-        form = forms.Form(schema=Feedback(), request=self.request)
+        schema = Feedback().bind(session=Session())
+        form = forms.Form(schema=schema, request=self.request)
         if form.validate(newstyle=True):
             data = dict(form.validated)
             if data['user']:
-                data['user_url'] = self.request.route_url('users.view', uuid=data['user'].uuid)
+                data['user'] = Session.query(model.User).get(data['user'])
+                data['user_url'] = self.request.route_url('users.view', uuid=data['user'])
             data['client_ip'] = self.request.client_addr
             send_email(self.rattail_config, 'user_feedback', data=data)
             return {'ok': True}