diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b6dd7ae..b0941e5 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -33,14 +33,13 @@
     "grunt-release": "^0.14.0",
     "hubot": "^3.0.0",
     "hubot-mock-adapter-v3": "^1.0.0",
-    "hubot-test-helper": "^1.8.1",
     "matchdep": "^0.1.2",
     "mocha": "^3.0.2",
     "nyc": "^11.0.3",
-    "semantic-release": "^6.3.6",
     "sinon": "^1.4.2",
     "sinon-chai": "^2.8.0",
-    "standard": "^10.0.2"
+    "standard": "^10.0.2",
+    "semantic-release": "^6.3.6"
   },
   "main": "index.coffee",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/src/help.js b/src/help.js
index 323bad3..33ee91c 100644
--- a/src/help.js
+++ b/src/help.js
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ const helpContents = (name, commands) => `\
 `
 
 module.exports = (robot) => {
+  const replyInPrivate = process.env.HUBOT_HELP_REPLY_IN_PRIVATE
+
   robot.respond(/help(?:\s+(.*))?$/i, (msg) => {
     let cmds = getHelpCommands(robot)
     const filter = msg.match[1]
@@ -72,9 +74,9 @@ module.exports = (robot) => {
 
     const emit = cmds.join('\n')
 
-    if (process.env.HUBOT_HELP_REPLY_IN_PRIVATE && msg.message && msg.message.user && msg.message.user.name && msg.message.user.name !== msg.message.room) {
-      msg.reply('I just replied to you in private.')
-      return msg.sendPrivate(emit)
+    if (replyInPrivate && msg.message && msg.message.user && msg.message.user.name && msg.message.user.name !== msg.message.room) {
+      msg.reply('replied to you in private!')
+      return robot.send({ room: msg.message.user.name }, emit)
     } else {
       return msg.send(emit)
     }
diff --git a/test/help_message_visibility_test.js b/test/help_message_visibility_test.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 8d598eb..0000000
--- a/test/help_message_visibility_test.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
-'use strict'
-
-/* global describe, beforeEach, afterEach, it, context */
-
-const chai = require('chai')
-const expect = chai.expect
-
-chai.use(require('sinon-chai'))
-
-const Helper = require('hubot-test-helper')
-
-const helper = new Helper('../src/help.js')
-
-describe('help', () => describe('message visibility', () => {
-  beforeEach(function () {
-    this.timeout(5000)
-    this.room = helper.createRoom()
-  })
-
-  afterEach(function () {
-    this.room.destroy()
-  })
-
-  context('when HUBOT_HELP_REPLY_IN_PRIVATE is unset', () => it('replies in the same room', function (done) {
-    this.room.user.say('john', '@hubot help help').then(() => {
-      expect(this.room.messages).to.eql([
-        ['john', '@hubot help help'],
-        ['hubot', 'hubot help - Displays all of the help commands that this bot knows about.\nhubot help <query> - Displays all help commands that match <query>.']
-      ])
-    }).then(done, done)
-  }))
-}))
-
-describe('help', () => describe('message visibility', () => {
-  beforeEach(function () {
-    process.env.HUBOT_HELP_REPLY_IN_PRIVATE = true
-    this.room = helper.createRoom()
-  })
-
-  afterEach(function () {
-    delete process.env.HUBOT_HELP_REPLY_IN_PRIVATE
-    this.room.destroy()
-  })
-
-  context('when HUBOT_HELP_REPLY_IN_PRIVATE is set', () => it('replies in a private message', function (done) {
-    this.room.user.say('john', '@hubot help help').then(() => {
-      expect(this.room.messages).to.eql([
-        ['john', '@hubot help help'],
-        ['hubot', '@john I just replied to you in private.']
-      ])
-      expect(this.room.privateMessages).to.eql({
-        john: [
-            ['hubot', 'hubot help - Displays all of the help commands that this bot knows about.\nhubot help <query> - Displays all help commands that match <query>.']
-        ]
-      })
-    }).then(done, done)
-  }))
-}))