diff --git a/src/freedombone-app-etherpad b/src/freedombone-app-etherpad
index ce5a6af8..f208d53c 100755
--- a/src/freedombone-app-etherpad
+++ b/src/freedombone-app-etherpad
@@ -188,11 +188,13 @@ function create_etherpad_settings {
 
 function remove_user_etherpad {
     remove_username="$1"
+
     read_config_param ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME
+
     ${PROJECT_NAME}-pass -u $remove_username --rmapp etherpad
 
-    if ! grep -q "\"${remove_username}\": {" /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json; then
-        sed -i "/\"${remove_username}\": {/,/},/d" /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json
+    if ! grep -q "\"$remove_username\": {" /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json; then
+        sed -i "/\"$remove_username\": {/,/},/d" /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json
     fi
 }
 
@@ -201,8 +203,8 @@ function add_user_etherpad {
     new_user_password="$2"
     ${PROJECT_NAME}-pass -u $new_username -a etherpad -p "$new_user_password"
     read_config_param ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME
-    if ! grep -q "\"${new_username}\": {" /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json; then
-        sed -i "/\"users\": {/a    \"${new_username}\": { \"password\": \"${new_user_password}\", \"is_admin\": false }," /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json
+    if ! grep -q "\"$new_username\": {" /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json; then
+        sed -i "/\"users\": {/a    \"$new_username\": { \"password\": \"$new_user_password\", \"is_admin\": false }," /var/www/${ETHERPAD_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/settings.json
     fi
 }