diff --git a/examples/client_async.py b/examples/client_async.py
index e5554b3b4..29bfd88f4 100755
--- a/examples/client_async.py
+++ b/examples/client_async.py
@@ -28,8 +28,16 @@
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import helper
+
+try:
+    import helper
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 import pymodbus.client as modbusClient
 from pymodbus import ModbusException
diff --git a/examples/client_async_calls.py b/examples/client_async_calls.py
index 2f84c57b0..482a9ec40 100755
--- a/examples/client_async_calls.py
+++ b/examples/client_async_calls.py
@@ -31,9 +31,16 @@
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import client_async
 
+try:
+    import client_async
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 _logger = logging.getLogger(__file__)
 _logger.setLevel("DEBUG")
diff --git a/examples/client_calls.py b/examples/client_calls.py
index ab9d740d4..50a58bc3d 100755
--- a/examples/client_calls.py
+++ b/examples/client_calls.py
@@ -30,8 +30,17 @@
     ./server_async.py
 """
 import logging
+import sys
+
+
+try:
+    import client_sync
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
-import client_sync
 
 
 _logger = logging.getLogger(__file__)
diff --git a/examples/client_payload.py b/examples/client_payload.py
index c5d82b082..70eb53ac6 100755
--- a/examples/client_payload.py
+++ b/examples/client_payload.py
@@ -7,9 +7,17 @@
 Works out of the box together with payload_server.py
 """
 import asyncio
+import sys
 from collections import OrderedDict
 
-import client_async
+
+try:
+    import client_async
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 from pymodbus.constants import Endian
 from pymodbus.payload import BinaryPayloadBuilder, BinaryPayloadDecoder
diff --git a/examples/client_sync.py b/examples/client_sync.py
index ccb28ec8f..3a4230560 100755
--- a/examples/client_sync.py
+++ b/examples/client_sync.py
@@ -31,8 +31,16 @@
 
 """
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import helper
+
+try:
+    import helper
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 import pymodbus.client as modbusClient
 from pymodbus import ModbusException
diff --git a/examples/modbus_forwarder.py b/examples/modbus_forwarder.py
index 9ada899de..b29070f25 100755
--- a/examples/modbus_forwarder.py
+++ b/examples/modbus_forwarder.py
@@ -18,8 +18,16 @@
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import helper
+
+try:
+    import helper
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 from pymodbus.client import ModbusTcpClient
 from pymodbus.datastore import ModbusServerContext
diff --git a/examples/server_async.py b/examples/server_async.py
index 668dcad0e..07d40352b 100755
--- a/examples/server_async.py
+++ b/examples/server_async.py
@@ -34,8 +34,16 @@
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import helper
+
+try:
+    import helper
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 from pymodbus import __version__ as pymodbus_version
 from pymodbus.datastore import (
diff --git a/examples/server_callback.py b/examples/server_callback.py
index f5cd574bd..6be7da107 100755
--- a/examples/server_callback.py
+++ b/examples/server_callback.py
@@ -6,8 +6,16 @@
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import server_async
+
+try:
+    import server_async
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 from pymodbus.datastore import (
     ModbusSequentialDataBlock,
diff --git a/examples/server_payload.py b/examples/server_payload.py
index c56d5a035..abd0b444e 100755
--- a/examples/server_payload.py
+++ b/examples/server_payload.py
@@ -6,8 +6,17 @@
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import sys
+
+
+try:
+    import server_async
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
-import server_async
 
 from pymodbus.constants import Endian
 from pymodbus.datastore import (
diff --git a/examples/server_sync.py b/examples/server_sync.py
index 54a2a1792..bc847ec13 100755
--- a/examples/server_sync.py
+++ b/examples/server_sync.py
@@ -35,9 +35,17 @@
 a lot slower.
 """
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import helper
-import server_async
+
+try:
+    import helper
+    import server_async
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
 # import the various client implementations
diff --git a/examples/server_updating.py b/examples/server_updating.py
index 84104a9eb..10e0ce3cb 100755
--- a/examples/server_updating.py
+++ b/examples/server_updating.py
@@ -33,8 +33,16 @@
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import sys
 
-import server_async
+
+try:
+    import server_async
+except ImportError:
+    print("*** ERROR --> THIS EXAMPLE needs the example directory, please see \n\
+          https://pymodbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/examples.html\n\
+          for more information.")
+    sys.exit(-1)
 
 from pymodbus.datastore import (
     ModbusSequentialDataBlock,