diff --git a/applications/utilities/postProcessing/sampling/sample/sample.C b/applications/utilities/postProcessing/sampling/sample/sample.C
index 0c5484e919..a68ab0b8fb 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/postProcessing/sampling/sample/sample.C
+++ b/applications/utilities/postProcessing/sampling/sample/sample.C
@@ -96,17 +96,26 @@ using namespace Foam;
 int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
     timeSelector::addOptions();
-#   include "addRegionOption.H"
-#   include "setRootCase.H"
-#   include "createTime.H"
+    #include "addRegionOption.H"
+    argList::addOption
+    (
+        "dict",
+        "word",
+        "name of dictionary to provide sample information"
+    );
+
+    #include "setRootCase.H"
+    #include "createTime.H"
     instantList timeDirs = timeSelector::select0(runTime, args);
-#   include "createNamedMesh.H"
+    #include "createNamedMesh.H"
+
+    word sampleDict(args.optionLookupOrDefault<word>("dict", "sampleDict"));
 
     IOsampledSets sSets
     (
         sampledSets::typeName,
         mesh,
-        "sampleDict",
+        sampleDict,
         IOobject::MUST_READ,
         true
     );
@@ -115,7 +124,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     (
         sampledSurfaces::typeName,
         mesh,
-        "sampleDict",
+        sampleDict,
         IOobject::MUST_READ,
         true
     );
diff --git a/src/sampling/sampledSet/sampledSets/sampledSetsTemplates.C b/src/sampling/sampledSet/sampledSets/sampledSetsTemplates.C
index 8b5d4b8fb7..bfb4c3be81 100644
--- a/src/sampling/sampledSet/sampledSets/sampledSetsTemplates.C
+++ b/src/sampling/sampledSet/sampledSets/sampledSetsTemplates.C
@@ -128,13 +128,32 @@ void Foam::sampledSets::writeSampleFile
         timeDir/formatter.getFileName(masterSampleSet, valueSetNames)
     );
 
-    formatter.write
-    (
-        masterSampleSet,
-        valueSetNames,
-        valueSets,
-        OFstream(fName)()
-    );
+    OFstream ofs(fName);
+    if (ofs.opened())
+    {
+        formatter.write
+        (
+            masterSampleSet,
+            valueSetNames,
+            valueSets,
+            ofs
+        );
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        WarningIn
+        (
+            "void Foam::sampledSets::writeSampleFile"
+            "("
+                "const coordSet&, "
+                "const PtrList<volFieldSampler<Type> >&, "
+                "const label, "
+                "const fileName&, "
+                "const writer<Type>&"
+            ")"
+        )   << "File " << ofs.name() << " could not be opened. "
+            << "No data will be written" << endl;
+    }
 }