diff --git a/pkg/controller/service/servicecontroller.go b/pkg/controller/service/servicecontroller.go
index 1f385d81fc8..dee6f7207a1 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/service/servicecontroller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/service/servicecontroller.go
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
+	"reflect"
+
 	"github.com/golang/glog"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/errors"
@@ -34,7 +36,6 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/fields"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/runtime"
-	"reflect"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -198,7 +199,7 @@ func (s *ServiceController) watchServices(serviceQueue *cache.DeltaFIFO) {
 // Returns an error if processing the delta failed, along with a boolean
 // indicator of whether the processing should be retried.
 func (s *ServiceController) processDelta(delta *cache.Delta) (error, bool) {
-	service, ok := delta.Object.(*api.Service)
+	deltaService, ok := delta.Object.(*api.Service)
 	var namespacedName types.NamespacedName
 	var cachedService *cachedService
 	if !ok {
@@ -213,63 +214,66 @@ func (s *ServiceController) processDelta(delta *cache.Delta) (error, bool) {
 		if !ok {
 			return fmt.Errorf("Service %s not in cache even though the watcher thought it was. Ignoring the deletion.", key), notRetryable
 		}
-		service = cachedService.lastState
-		delta.Object = cachedService.lastState
-		namespacedName = types.NamespacedName{Namespace: service.Namespace, Name: service.Name}
+		deltaService = cachedService.lastState
+		delta.Object = deltaService
+		namespacedName = types.NamespacedName{Namespace: deltaService.Namespace, Name: deltaService.Name}
 	} else {
-		namespacedName.Namespace = service.Namespace
-		namespacedName.Name = service.Name
+		namespacedName.Namespace = deltaService.Namespace
+		namespacedName.Name = deltaService.Name
 		cachedService = s.cache.getOrCreate(namespacedName.String())
 	}
-	glog.V(2).Infof("Got new %s delta for service: %+v", delta.Type, service)
+	glog.V(2).Infof("Got new %s delta for service: %+v", delta.Type, deltaService)
 
 	// Ensure that no other goroutine will interfere with our processing of the
 	// service.
 	cachedService.mu.Lock()
 	defer cachedService.mu.Unlock()
 
+	// Get the most recent state of the service from the API directly rather than
+	// trusting the body of the delta. This avoids update re-ordering problems.
+	// TODO: Handle sync delta types differently rather than doing a get on every
+	// service every time we sync?
+	service, err := s.kubeClient.Core().Services(namespacedName.Namespace).Get(namespacedName.Name)
+	if err != nil && !errors.IsNotFound(err) {
+		glog.Warningf("Failed to get most recent state of service %v from API (will retry): %v", namespacedName, err)
+		return err, retryable
+	} else if errors.IsNotFound(err) {
+		glog.V(2).Infof("Service %v not found, ensuring load balancer is deleted", namespacedName)
+		s.eventRecorder.Event(service, api.EventTypeNormal, "DeletingLoadBalancer", "Deleting load balancer")
+		err := s.balancer.EnsureLoadBalancerDeleted(s.loadBalancerName(deltaService), s.zone.Region)
+		if err != nil {
+			message := "Error deleting load balancer (will retry): " + err.Error()
+			s.eventRecorder.Event(deltaService, api.EventTypeWarning, "DeletingLoadBalancerFailed", message)
+			return err, retryable
+		}
+		s.eventRecorder.Event(deltaService, api.EventTypeNormal, "DeletedLoadBalancer", "Deleted load balancer")
+		s.cache.delete(namespacedName.String())
+		return nil, notRetryable
+	}
+
 	// Update the cached service (used above for populating synthetic deletes)
 	cachedService.lastState = service
 
-	// TODO: Handle added, updated, and sync differently?
-	switch delta.Type {
-	case cache.Added:
-		fallthrough
-	case cache.Updated:
-		fallthrough
-	case cache.Sync:
-		err, retry := s.createLoadBalancerIfNeeded(namespacedName, service, cachedService.appliedState)
-		if err != nil {
-			message := "Error creating load balancer"
-			if retry {
-				message += " (will retry): "
-			} else {
-				message += " (will not retry): "
-			}
-			message += err.Error()
-			s.eventRecorder.Event(service, api.EventTypeWarning, "CreatingLoadBalancerFailed", message)
+	err, retry := s.createLoadBalancerIfNeeded(namespacedName, service, cachedService.appliedState)
+	if err != nil {
+		message := "Error creating load balancer"
+		if retry {
+			message += " (will retry): "
+		} else {
+			message += " (will not retry): "
+		}
+		message += err.Error()
+		s.eventRecorder.Event(service, api.EventTypeWarning, "CreatingLoadBalancerFailed", message)
 
-			return err, retry
-		}
-		// Always update the cache upon success.
-		// NOTE: Since we update the cached service if and only if we successfully
-		// processed it, a cached service being nil implies that it hasn't yet
-		// been successfully processed.
-		cachedService.appliedState = service
-		s.cache.set(namespacedName.String(), cachedService)
-	case cache.Deleted:
-		s.eventRecorder.Event(service, api.EventTypeNormal, "DeletingLoadBalancer", "Deleting load balancer")
-		err := s.balancer.EnsureLoadBalancerDeleted(s.loadBalancerName(service), s.zone.Region)
-		if err != nil {
-			message := "Error deleting load balancer (will retry): " + err.Error()
-			s.eventRecorder.Event(service, api.EventTypeWarning, "DeletingLoadBalancerFailed", message)
-			return err, retryable
-		}
-		s.eventRecorder.Event(service, api.EventTypeNormal, "DeletedLoadBalancer", "Deleted load balancer")
-		s.cache.delete(namespacedName.String())
-	default:
-		glog.Errorf("Unexpected delta type: %v", delta.Type)
+		return err, retry
 	}
+	// Always update the cache upon success.
+	// NOTE: Since we update the cached service if and only if we successfully
+	// processed it, a cached service being nil implies that it hasn't yet
+	// been successfully processed.
+	cachedService.appliedState = service
+	s.cache.set(namespacedName.String(), cachedService)
+
 	return nil, notRetryable
 }
 
@@ -277,7 +281,7 @@ func (s *ServiceController) processDelta(delta *cache.Delta) (error, bool) {
 // should be retried.
 func (s *ServiceController) createLoadBalancerIfNeeded(namespacedName types.NamespacedName, service, appliedState *api.Service) (error, bool) {
 	if appliedState != nil && !s.needsUpdate(appliedState, service) {
-		glog.Infof("LB already exists and doesn't need update for service %s", namespacedName)
+		glog.Infof("LB doesn't need update for service %s", namespacedName)
 		return nil, notRetryable
 	}