diff --git a/include/class.mailer.php b/include/class.mailer.php
index 889ecb39fdc60b767633bc3ded23de6a1e3ee203..e13eff86e450589c82253468e14864d0b97d4c1b 100644
--- a/include/class.mailer.php
+++ b/include/class.mailer.php
@@ -136,12 +136,23 @@ class Mailer {
 
         $mime = new Mail_mime();
 
-        // Make sure nothing unsafe has creeped into the message
-        $message = Format::safe_html($message);
-        $mime->setTXTBody(convert_html_to_text($message));
+        $isHtml = true;
+        // Ensure that the 'text' option / hint is not set to true and that
+        // the message appears to be HTML -- that is, the first
+        // non-whitespace char is a '<' character
+        if (!(isset($options['text']) && $options['text'])
+                && preg_match('/^\s*</', $message)) {
+            // Make sure nothing unsafe has creeped into the message
+            $message = Format::safe_html($message);
+            $mime->setTXTBody(convert_html_to_text($message));
+        }
+        else {
+            $mime->setTXTBody($message);
+            $isHtml = false;
+        }
 
         $domain = 'local';
-        if ($ost->getConfig()->isHtmlThreadEnabled()) {
+        if ($isHtml && $ost->getConfig()->isHtmlThreadEnabled()) {
             // TODO: Lookup helpdesk domain
             $domain = substr(md5($ost->getConfig()->getURL()), -12);
             // Format content-ids with the domain, and add the inline images
diff --git a/include/class.osticket.php b/include/class.osticket.php
index a2d2205de0adedfcff9e722efe5745485cda00fc..fd46d21346928ca443ed56f1842e15e9a35bb27e 100644
--- a/include/class.osticket.php
+++ b/include/class.osticket.php
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ class osTicket {
             $email=$this->getConfig()->getDefaultEmail(); //will take the default email.
 
         if($email) {
-            $email->sendAlert($to, $subject, $message);
+            $email->sendAlert($to, $subject, $message, null, array('text'=>true));
         } else {//no luck - try the system mail.
             Mailer::sendmail($to, $subject, $message, sprintf('"osTicket Alerts"<%s>',$to));
         }