diff --git a/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/GeneralCommands.cs b/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/GeneralCommands.cs
index 6a69ea1..6f1d0f5 100644
--- a/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/GeneralCommands.cs
+++ b/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/GeneralCommands.cs
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler
                 var guild = (request.OriginalMessage.Channel as IGuildChannel)?.Guild;
                 if (guild != null)
                 {
-                    user = (SocketUser) await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordUser(guild);
+                    user = (SocketUser) await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordGuildUser(guild);
                 }
                 if (user == null)
                 {
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler
                 var guild = (request.OriginalMessage.Channel as IGuildChannel)?.Guild;
                 if (guild != null)
                 {
-                    user = (SocketUser) await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordUser(guild);
+                    user = (SocketUser) await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordGuildUser(guild);
                 }
                 if (user == null)
                 {
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler
             if (guildChannel == null)
                 return;
 
-            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordUser(guildChannel.Guild);
+            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordGuildUser(guildChannel.Guild);
             string message;
             if (request.OriginalMessage.Author.Id == user.Id)
             {
diff --git a/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/ModeratorCommands.cs b/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/ModeratorCommands.cs
index 36337fd..ddeca13 100644
--- a/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/ModeratorCommands.cs
+++ b/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/Commands/ModeratorCommands.cs
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler
                 return;
 
             // get the id of the user, this parses the string to an id
-            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordUser(channel.Guild);
+            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordGuildUser(channel.Guild);
             if (user == null)
             {
                 await request.SendSimpleEmbed("Kick", "I can't find that user on the server");
@@ -72,22 +72,22 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler
                 return;
 
             // get the id of the user, this parses the string to an id
-            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordUser(channel.Guild);
-            if (user == null)
+            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordUser();
+            if (user != null)
             {
-                await request.SendSimpleEmbed("Ban", "I can't find that user on the server");
-                return;
+                // get the permissions of the user we want to kick
+                var userPermissions =
+                    await PermissionValidator.GetUserPermissionLevel(request.OriginalMessage.Channel, (SocketUser) user);
+                // if the user has sufficient permissions, or is deukbot, warn the user that he's not allowed to do that, and stop
+                if (userPermissions >= PermissionLevel.Helper || user.Id == Program.Client.CurrentUser.Id)
+                {
+                    await request.SendSimpleEmbed("Ban", "You are not allowed to ban that user");
+                    return;
+                }
             }
-
-            // get the permissions of the user we want to kick
-            var userPermissions =
-                await PermissionValidator.GetUserPermissionLevel(request.OriginalMessage.Channel, (SocketUser) user);
-            // if the user has sufficient permissions, or is deukbot, warn the user that he's not allowed to do that, and stop
-            if (userPermissions >= PermissionLevel.Helper || user.Id == Program.Client.CurrentUser.Id)
-            {
-                await request.SendSimpleEmbed("Ban", "You are not allowed to ban that user");
+            var userId = request.Parameters[0].AsUlong();
+            if (!userId.HasValue)
                 return;
-            }
 
             // see if a reason was given, use that if so
             var reason = string.Empty;
@@ -96,24 +96,22 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler
                 reason = request.Parameters[1].AsString();
             }
 
-            string desc = "No reason was given.";
-            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(reason))
+            if (user != null)
             {
-                desc = "The given reason was: " + desc;
-            }
+                string desc = "No reason was given.";
+                if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(reason))
+                {
+                    desc = "The given reason was: " + desc;
+                }
 
-            var eb = new EmbedBuilder();
-            eb.Color = Color.Gold;
-            eb.Title = "You were banned from " + channel.Guild.Name;
-            eb.Description = desc;
-            eb.Author = new EmbedAuthorBuilder();
-            eb.Author.Name = request.OriginalMessage.Author.Username;
-            eb.Author.IconUrl = request.OriginalMessage.Author.GetAvatarUrl();
-            eb.Timestamp = request.OriginalMessage.Timestamp;
-            user.SendMessageAsync("", embed: eb.Build());
+                var eb = EmbedFactory.GetStandardEmbedBuilder();
+                eb.Title       = "Ban";
+                eb.Description = desc;
+                user.SendMessageAsync("", embed: eb.Build());
+            }
             // and ban
-            await channel.Guild.AddBanAsync(user, 0, reason);
-            await request.SendMessageAsync($"User was banned: {user.Username}");
+            await channel.Guild.AddBanAsync(userId.Value, 0, reason, RequestOptions.Default);
+            await request.SendSimpleEmbed("Ban", $"User was banned: <@!{userId}>");
         }
 
         [Command("silence", PermissionLevel.Helper)]
@@ -136,7 +134,7 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler
                 return;
 
             // get the id of the user, this parses the string to an id
-            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordUser(channel.Guild);
+            var user = await request.Parameters[0].AsDiscordGuildUser(channel.Guild);
             if (user == null)
             {
                 await request.SendSimpleEmbed("Silence", "I can't find that user on the server");
diff --git a/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/RequestStructure/RequestParameter.cs b/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/RequestStructure/RequestParameter.cs
index 871dd28..36238d4 100644
--- a/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/RequestStructure/RequestParameter.cs
+++ b/DeukBot4/MessageHandlers/CommandHandler/RequestStructure/RequestParameter.cs
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler.RequestStructure
             return null;
         }
 
-        public async Task<IGuildUser> AsDiscordUser(IGuild guild)
+        public async Task<IGuildUser> AsDiscordGuildUser(IGuild guild)
         {
             if (ulong.TryParse(_value, out var i))
             {
@@ -55,5 +55,15 @@ namespace DeukBot4.MessageHandlers.CommandHandler.RequestStructure
                 return user;
             }
         }
+
+        public async Task<IUser> AsDiscordUser()
+        {
+            if (ulong.TryParse(_value, out var i))
+            {
+                return Program.Client.GetUser(i);
+            }
+            return null;
+        }
+
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file