diff --git a/lib/config/presets/util.spec.ts b/lib/config/presets/util.spec.ts
index 79c8232a3554f4f50d0be5508568176b2146685c..0610c1105c339f7aa182949a9cf750478cb8438f 100644
--- a/lib/config/presets/util.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/config/presets/util.spec.ts
@@ -15,15 +15,23 @@ describe('config/presets/util', () => {
     fetch.mockReset();
   });
   it('works', async () => {
-    fetch.mockResolvedValue({ sub: { preset: { foo: true } } });
+    fetch.mockResolvedValueOnce({ sub: { preset: { foo: true } } });
     expect(await fetchPreset({ ...config, fetch })).toEqual({
       sub: { preset: { foo: true } },
     });
 
+    fetch.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error(PRESET_DEP_NOT_FOUND));
+    fetch.mockResolvedValueOnce({ sub: { preset: { foo: true } } });
+    expect(await fetchPreset({ ...config, fetch })).toEqual({
+      sub: { preset: { foo: true } },
+    });
+
+    fetch.mockResolvedValueOnce({ sub: { preset: { foo: true } } });
     expect(
       await fetchPreset({ ...config, filePreset: 'some/sub', fetch })
     ).toEqual({ preset: { foo: true } });
 
+    fetch.mockResolvedValueOnce({ sub: { preset: { foo: true } } });
     expect(
       await fetchPreset({ ...config, filePreset: 'some/sub/preset', fetch })
     ).toEqual({ foo: true });
diff --git a/lib/config/presets/util.ts b/lib/config/presets/util.ts
index f0a014409600a6cf7aea5413ef49b8cc6724bf28..199818a1a3d9939f45b45ee2bc5e139d66460127 100644
--- a/lib/config/presets/util.ts
+++ b/lib/config/presets/util.ts
@@ -35,15 +35,15 @@ export async function fetchPreset({
       if (err.message !== PRESET_DEP_NOT_FOUND) {
         throw err;
       }
-      logger.info(
-        'Fallback to renovate.json file as a preset is deprecated, please use a default.json file instead.'
-      );
       jsonContent = await fetch(
         pkgName,
         buildFilePath('renovate.json'),
         endpoint,
         packageTag
       );
+      logger.info(
+        'Fallback to renovate.json file as a preset is deprecated, please use a default.json file instead.'
+      );
     }
   } else {
     jsonContent = await fetch(