diff --git a/ChangeLog.md b/ChangeLog.md
--- a/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/ChangeLog.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+## 0.4.0.1
+
+* Fix https://github.com/paul-rouse/mysql-simple/issues/35
+
 ## 0.4.0.0
 
 * Add type VaArgs for non-parenthesized variable-length list of parameters.
diff --git a/Database/MySQL/Simple/Result.hs b/Database/MySQL/Simple/Result.hs
--- a/Database/MySQL/Simple/Result.hs
+++ b/Database/MySQL/Simple/Result.hs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{-# LANGUAGE CPP, DeriveDataTypeable, FlexibleInstances #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE CPP, DeriveDataTypeable, FlexibleInstances, OverloadedStrings #-}
 #if MIN_VERSION_time(1,5,0)
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-warnings-deprecations #-}
 #endif
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 import Data.List (foldl')
 import Data.Ratio (Ratio)
 import Data.Time.Calendar (Day, fromGregorian)
-import Data.Time.Clock (UTCTime)
+import Data.Time.Clock (UTCTime(..))
 import Data.Time.Format (parseTime)
 import Data.Time.LocalTime (TimeOfDay, makeTimeOfDayValid)
 import Data.Typeable (TypeRep, Typeable, typeOf)
@@ -164,7 +164,10 @@
     convert f = doConvert f ok $ \bs ->
                 case parseTime defaultTimeLocale "%F %T" (B8.unpack bs) of
                   Just t -> t
-                  Nothing -> conversionFailed f "UTCTime" "could not parse"
+                  Nothing
+                    | SB.isPrefixOf "0000-00-00" bs ->
+                        UTCTime (fromGregorian 0 0 0) 0
+                    | otherwise -> conversionFailed f "UTCTime" "could not parse"
         where ok = mkCompats [DateTime,Timestamp]
 
 instance Result Day where
diff --git a/mysql-simple.cabal b/mysql-simple.cabal
--- a/mysql-simple.cabal
+++ b/mysql-simple.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:           mysql-simple
-version:        0.4.0.0
+version:        0.4.0.1
 homepage:       https://github.com/paul-rouse/mysql-simple
 bug-reports:    https://github.com/paul-rouse/mysql-simple/issues
 synopsis:       A mid-level MySQL client library.
diff --git a/stack.yaml b/stack.yaml
--- a/stack.yaml
+++ b/stack.yaml
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@
 packages:
 - '.'
 extra-deps: []
-resolver: lts-6.23
+resolver: lts-6.25
diff --git a/test/main.hs b/test/main.hs
--- a/test/main.hs
+++ b/test/main.hs
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 import Database.MySQL.Simple (ConnectInfo (..), defaultConnectInfo,
                               connect, close,
                               query_, Only (..))
+import System.Exit           (exitFailure)
 import Test.Hspec
+import TestOpts              (dbtests)
 
 -- This is how to connect to our test database
 testConn :: ConnectInfo
@@ -14,13 +16,39 @@
                connectDatabase = "test"
            }
 
+advice :: String
+advice =
+    "\n\
+    \Database test not run for mysql-simple\n\
+    \======================================\n\
+    \\n\
+    \To run the tests properly, you need to specify the flag 'dbtests' when\n\
+    \building the test, for example either of these commands will do it:\n\
+    \\n\
+    \    stack test --flag mysql-simple:dbtests\n\
+    \    cabal configure --enable-tests --flags=dbtests && cabal test\n\
+    \\n\
+    \You also need to set up a MySQL database which the test can use via\n\
+    \these connection parameters:\n\
+    \\n\
+    \    Host          \"127.0.0.1\"\n\
+    \    Port          3306\n\
+    \    User          \"test\"\n\
+    \    Password      \"\"\n\
+    \    Database      \"test\"\n\
+    \\n"
+    
+
 -- Only the most cursory test is done at the moment, simply showing that
 -- things hang together sufficiently well that we can talk to the database
 -- server.
 --
 main :: IO ()
-main = bracket (connect testConn) close $ \conn -> hspec $ do
+main = if dbtests then bracket (connect testConn) close $ \conn -> hspec $ do
     describe "Database" $ do
       it "seems to be connected" $ do
         result <- query_ conn "select 1 + 1"
         result `shouldBe` [Only (2::Int)]
+  else do
+      putStr advice
+      exitFailure