diff --git a/Framework/Core/include/Framework/ArrowTypes.h b/Framework/Core/include/Framework/ArrowTypes.h
index 6e0c18c42f873..50c4a8e95be0f 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/include/Framework/ArrowTypes.h
+++ b/Framework/Core/include/Framework/ArrowTypes.h
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ struct ArrowRange {
 
   bool operator!=(ArrowRange const& other) const
   {
-    return (offset != other.offset) && (size != other.size);
+    return (offset != other.offset) || (size != other.size);
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/Framework/Core/src/ASoA.cxx b/Framework/Core/src/ASoA.cxx
index cfd58ae159b7c..26e250af64163 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/src/ASoA.cxx
+++ b/Framework/Core/src/ASoA.cxx
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ void canNotJoin(std::vector<std::shared_ptr<arrow::Table>> const& tables, std::s
 {
   for (auto i = 0U; i < tables.size() - 1; ++i) {
     if (tables[i]->num_rows() != tables[i + 1]->num_rows()) {
-      throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Tables %s and %s have different sizes (%d vs %d) and cannot be joined!",
-                                           makeString(labels[i]), makeString(labels[i + 1]), tables[i]->num_rows(), tables[i + 1]->num_rows());
+      throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Tables %s and %s have different sizes (%lld vs %lld) and cannot be joined!",
+                                           makeString(labels[i]), makeString(labels[i + 1]), (long long)tables[i]->num_rows(), (long long)tables[i + 1]->num_rows());
     }
   }
 }
@@ -102,11 +102,20 @@ void IncompatibleRanges(std::vector<ArrowTableRef> const& tables, std::span<T> l
   if (loc != std::ranges::cend(tables)) {
     auto pos = std::distance(tables.begin(), loc);
     auto next = loc + 1;
+    if (loc->range.size != next->range.size) {
+      if (labels.empty()) {
+        throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Tables at positions %d and %d have different sizes (%lld vs %lld) and cannot be joined!",
+                                             (int)pos, (int)pos + 1, (long long)loc->range.size, (long long)next->range.size);
+      }
+      throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Tables %s and %s have different sizes (%lld vs %lld) and cannot be joined!",
+                                           makeString(labels[pos]), makeString(labels[pos + 1]), (long long)loc->range.size, (long long)next->range.size);
+    }
     if (labels.empty()) {
-      throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Incompatible ranges at %d: (%zu, %z) vs. (%zu, %z)", pos, loc->range.offset, loc->range.size, next->range.offset, next->range.size);
-    } else {
-      throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Incompatible ranges at %d between %s and %s: (%zu, %z) vs. (%zu, %z)", pos, makeString(labels[pos]), makeString(labels[pos + 1]), loc->range.offset, loc->range.size, next->range.offset, next->range.size);
+      throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Incompatible ranges at %d: (%llu, %lld) vs. (%llu, %lld)",
+                                           (int)pos, (unsigned long long)loc->range.offset, (long long)loc->range.size, (unsigned long long)next->range.offset, (long long)next->range.size);
     }
+    throw o2::framework::runtime_error_f("Incompatible ranges at %d between %s and %s: (%llu, %lld) vs. (%llu, %lld)",
+                                         (int)pos, makeString(labels[pos]), makeString(labels[pos + 1]), (unsigned long long)loc->range.offset, (long long)loc->range.size, (unsigned long long)next->range.offset, (long long)next->range.size);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/Framework/Core/test/test_ASoA.cxx b/Framework/Core/test/test_ASoA.cxx
index 1c9f42256a0e3..40d6e71893a9b 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/test/test_ASoA.cxx
+++ b/Framework/Core/test/test_ASoA.cxx
@@ -316,11 +316,20 @@ TEST_CASE("TestJoinedTables")
     REQUIRE(15 == test.x() + test.y() + test.z());
   }
 
-  try {
-    auto testF = join(TestZ{tableZ}, TestW{tableW});
-  } catch (RuntimeErrorRef ref) {
-    REQUIRE(std::string{error_from_ref(ref).what} == "Tables TEST and TEST have different sizes (8 vs 3) and cannot be joined!");
-  }
+  // a table of different size must be detected in any position of the join
+  auto joinError = [](auto&& makeJoin) -> std::string {
+    try {
+      makeJoin();
+    } catch (RuntimeErrorRef ref) {
+      return error_from_ref(ref).what;
+    }
+    return "";
+  };
+  REQUIRE(joinError([&] { join(TestZ{tableZ}, TestW{tableW}); }) == "Tables TEST and TEST have different sizes (8 vs 3) and cannot be joined!");
+  REQUIRE(joinError([&] { join(TestW{tableW}, TestY{tableY}, TestZ{tableZ}); }) == "Tables TEST and TEST have different sizes (3 vs 8) and cannot be joined!");
+  REQUIRE(joinError([&] { join(TestX{tableX}, TestW{tableW}, TestZ{tableZ}); }) == "Tables TEST and TEST have different sizes (8 vs 3) and cannot be joined!");
+  REQUIRE(joinError([&] { join(TestX{tableX}, TestY{tableY}, TestW{tableW}); }) == "Tables TEST and TEST have different sizes (8 vs 3) and cannot be joined!");
+  REQUIRE(joinError([&] { Join<TestX, TestY, TestW>{{tableX, tableY, tableW}}; }) == "Tables at positions 1 and 2 have different sizes (8 vs 3) and cannot be joined!");
 }
 
 TEST_CASE("TestConcatTables")