pod2usage(...) exits all by itself. You don't need all the '&& exit' clauses. And in your example, you didn't need to include any code that didn't include pod2usage(). The rest is noise that makes it harder to see your issue (and makes me less likely to look for the issue). Include the smallest amount of code that demonstrates your problem. This could even be just a GetOptions() call that only has one or two options.