diff --git a/acceptance/tests/resource/service/ticket_14297_handle_upstart.rb b/acceptance/tests/resource/service/ticket_14297_handle_upstart.rb
index 868230fb8..929d38273 100644
--- a/acceptance/tests/resource/service/ticket_14297_handle_upstart.rb
+++ b/acceptance/tests/resource/service/ticket_14297_handle_upstart.rb
@@ -1,34 +1,46 @@
 test_name 'Upstart Testing'
 
 # only run these on ubuntu vms
 confine :to, :platform => 'ubuntu'
 
 # pick any ubuntu agent
 agent = agents.first
 
+def check_service_for(pkg, type)
+  if pkg == "apache2"
+    if type == "stop"
+      on agent, "service #{pkg} status", :acceptable_exit_codes => [1,2,3]
+    else
+      on agent, "service #{pkg} status", :acceptable_exit_codes => [0]
+    end
+  else
+    on agent, "service #{pkg} status | grep #{type} -q"
+  end
+end
+
 # in Precise these packages provide a mix of upstart with no linked init
 # script (tty1), upstart linked to an init script (rsyslog), and no upstart
 # script - only an init script (apache2)
 %w(tty1 rsyslog apache2).each do |pkg|
   on agent, puppet_resource("package #{pkg} ensure=present")
 
   step "Ensure #{pkg} has started"
   on agent, "service #{pkg} start", :acceptable_exit_codes => [0,1]
 
   step "Check that status for running #{pkg}"
-  on agent, "service #{pkg} status | grep start -q"
+  check_service_for(pkg, "start")
 
   step "Stop #{pkg} with `puppet resource'"
   on agent, puppet_resource("service #{pkg} ensure=stopped")
 
   step "Check that status for stopped #{pkg}"
-  on agent, "service #{pkg} status | grep stop -q"
+  check_service_for(pkg, "stop")
 
   step "Start #{pkg} with `puppet resource'"
   on agent, puppet_resource("service #{pkg} ensure=running")
 
   step "Check that status for started #{pkg}"
-  on agent, "service #{pkg} status | grep start -q"
+  check_service_for(pkg, "start")
 
   on agent, puppet_resource("package #{pkg} ensure=absent")
 end