diff --git a/pvAccessApp/remote/blockingTCPTransport.cpp b/pvAccessApp/remote/blockingTCPTransport.cpp
index 62c85f3..71308e6 100644
--- a/pvAccessApp/remote/blockingTCPTransport.cpp
+++ b/pvAccessApp/remote/blockingTCPTransport.cpp
@@ -934,8 +934,21 @@ namespace pvAccess {
                                 _responseHandler->handleResponse(&_socketAddress,
                                         thisPointer, _version, _command, _payloadSize,
                                         _socketBuffer);
+                            } catch (std::exception& ex) {
+                                 
+                                 LOG(
+                                    logLevelDebug,
+                                    "Unexpected exception in responseHandler: %s",
+                                    ex.what()
+                                    );
+                                    
                             } catch(...) {
-                                //noop      // TODO print?
+
+                                 LOG(
+                                    logLevelDebug,
+                                    "Unexpected exception in responseHandler!"
+                                    );
+                                    
                             }
 
                             _socketBuffer->setLimit(_storedLimit);
diff --git a/pvAccessApp/server/responseHandlers.cpp b/pvAccessApp/server/responseHandlers.cpp
index 87506ed..3a526a5 100644
--- a/pvAccessApp/server/responseHandlers.cpp
+++ b/pvAccessApp/server/responseHandlers.cpp
@@ -596,6 +596,21 @@ void ServerGetHandler::handleResponse(osiSockAddr* responseFrom,
 	    destroy(); \
     }
 
+#define DESERIALIZE_EXCEPTION_GUARD(code) \
+    try { \
+ 	    code; \
+    } \
+    catch (std::exception &e) { \
+        Status status(Status::STATUSTYPE_ERROR, e.what()); \
+	    BaseChannelRequester::sendFailureMessage((int8)command, transport, ioid, qosCode, status); \
+	    throw; \
+    } \
+    catch (...) { \
+        Status status(Status::STATUSTYPE_ERROR, "unknown exception caught"); \
+	    BaseChannelRequester::sendFailureMessage((int8)command, transport, ioid, qosCode, status); \
+	    throw; \
+    }
+
 ServerChannelGetRequesterImpl::ServerChannelGetRequesterImpl(ServerContextImpl::shared_pointer const & context, ServerChannelImpl::shared_pointer const & channel, const pvAccessID ioid, Transport::shared_pointer const & transport) :
 		BaseChannelRequester(context, channel, ioid, transport), _channelGet(), _bitSet(), _pvStructure()
 
@@ -796,8 +811,12 @@ void ServerPutHandler::handleResponse(osiSockAddr* responseFrom,
 			{
     			ScopedLock lock(channelPut);     // TODO not needed if put is processed by the same thread
     			BitSet::shared_pointer putBitSet = request->getBitSet();
-    			putBitSet->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
-    			request->getPVStructure()->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get(), putBitSet.get());
+
+      		    DESERIALIZE_EXCEPTION_GUARD(
+    		        putBitSet->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
+    		        request->getPVStructure()->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get(), putBitSet.get());
+    		    );
+    			
 			}
 			channelPut->put(lastRequest);
 		}
@@ -1014,7 +1033,10 @@ void ServerPutGetHandler::handleResponse(osiSockAddr* responseFrom,
 			ChannelPutGet::shared_pointer channelPutGet = request->getChannelPutGet();
 			{
     			ScopedLock lock(channelPutGet);  // TODO not necessary if read is done in putGet
-			    request->getPVPutStructure()->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
+
+      		    DESERIALIZE_EXCEPTION_GUARD(
+ 			        request->getPVPutStructure()->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
+ 			    );
 			}
 			channelPutGet->putGet(lastRequest);
 		}
@@ -1477,8 +1499,11 @@ void ServerArrayHandler::handleResponse(osiSockAddr* responseFrom,
     	    PVArray::shared_pointer array = request->getPVArray();
 			{
     			ScopedLock lock(channelArray);   // TODO not needed if read by the same thread
-    			offset = SerializeHelper::readSize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
-    			array->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
+    			
+    			DESERIALIZE_EXCEPTION_GUARD(
+    			    offset = SerializeHelper::readSize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
+    			    array->deserialize(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
+    			);
 			}
 			channelArray->putArray(lastRequest, offset, array->getLength());
 		}
@@ -1968,7 +1993,12 @@ void ServerRPCHandler::handleResponse(osiSockAddr* responseFrom,
 		// deserialize put data
 		ChannelRPC::shared_pointer channelRPC = request->getChannelRPC();
 		// pvArgument
-		PVStructure::shared_pointer pvArgument(SerializationHelper::deserializeStructureFull(payloadBuffer, transport.get()));
+		PVStructure::shared_pointer pvArgument;
+		
+        DESERIALIZE_EXCEPTION_GUARD(
+            pvArgument = SerializationHelper::deserializeStructureFull(payloadBuffer, transport.get());
+        );
+        
 		channelRPC->request(pvArgument, lastRequest);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/testApp/remote/eget.cpp b/testApp/remote/eget.cpp
index c82c397..e49177f 100644
--- a/testApp/remote/eget.cpp
+++ b/testApp/remote/eget.cpp
@@ -988,6 +988,7 @@ void printValues(vector<string> const & names, vector<PVStructure::shared_pointe
 
 #define DEFAULT_TIMEOUT 3.0
 #define DEFAULT_REQUEST "field(value)"
+#define DEFAULT_RPC_REQUEST ""
 
 double timeOut = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT;
 string request(DEFAULT_REQUEST);
@@ -1197,7 +1198,7 @@ public:
         }
         else
         {
-            std::cerr << "[" << m_channelName << "] failed to create channel get: " << status << std::endl;
+            std::cerr << "[" << m_channelName << "] failed to create channel RPC: " << status << std::endl;
             m_connectionEvent.signal();
         }
     }
@@ -1430,6 +1431,7 @@ int main (int argc, char *argv[])
     bool cleanupAndReport = false;
 
     bool serviceRequest = false;
+    bool pvRequestProvidedByUser = false;
     bool onlyQuery = false;
     string service;
     //string urlEncodedRequest;
@@ -1454,6 +1456,7 @@ int main (int argc, char *argv[])
             break;
         case 'r':               /* Set pvRequest value */
             request = optarg;
+            pvRequestProvidedByUser = true;
             // do not override terse mode
             if (mode == ValueOnlyMode) mode = StructureMode;
             break;
@@ -1843,7 +1846,10 @@ int main (int argc, char *argv[])
 
         // simply empty
         PVStructure::shared_pointer pvRequest =
-                getCreateRequest()->createRequest(request, requester);
+                getCreateRequest()->createRequest(
+                    !pvRequestProvidedByUser ? DEFAULT_RPC_REQUEST : request,
+                    requester
+                 );
         if(pvRequest.get()==NULL) {
             fprintf(stderr, "failed to parse request string\n");
             return 1;