CAPT OF B737-300 RPTS ELECTRICALLY PWRED VEHICLES WERE BOARDED IN CARGO WITH THE BATTERIES STILL CONNECTED. HAZARDOUS GOODS MANIFEST RECEIVED BY CREW INDICATED THE BATTERIES HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED.

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IMPROPER LOADING OF DANGEROUS GOODS. OUR FLT WAS WITHIN 3 MINS OF SCHEDULED DEP WHEN THE FLT CREW NOTICED THAT THE RAMP CREW WERE RIDING TWO 'SEGWAY' GYROSCOPICALLY CTLED ELECTRIC PWRED VEHICLES TOWARD THE ACFT. THE SEGWAYS HAD BAGGAGE TAGS ON THEM. AFTER A DELAY OF SEVERAL MINS WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE SEGWAYS WERE LOADED. I CONTACTED MAINT TO TRY TO DETERMINE WHAT THE PROPER PROC WOULD BE FOR LOADING THESE VEHICLES. AFTER SEVERAL ACARS AND TELEPHONE MESSAGES IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THESE VEHICLES WOULD HAVE TO BE TREATED IN THE SAME FASHION AS BATTERY PWRED WHEELCHAIRS. THE FLT CREW WAS HANDED 2 'PLT NOTIFICATION/CHKLIST' FORMS WHICH WERE INCOMPREHENSIBLE BECAUSE EVERY 'YES' BOX FOR BOTH 'BATTERY ATTACHED TO CHAIR' AND 'BATTERY REMOVED AND BOXED' WERE EITHER LINED THROUGH OR X'ED. WE ASKED THE GND CREW WHAT THE ACTUAL STATUS OF THE BATTERIES WERE ON THE SEGWAYS AND WERE TOLD THAT THEY HAD LOADED THE VEHICLES BUT HAD NOT DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY CABLES BECAUSE THE GND CREW COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO DISCONNECT THE CABLES. THIS WAS IN DIRECT CONTRAVENTION TO THE PROC FOR DEALING WITH ELECTRICAL VEHICLES. WHAT COMPOUNDED THE SITUATION IS THAT THE GND STAFF SUPPLIED A FALSE DOCUMENT TO THE FLT CREW WHICH INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLES WERE IN FACT PROPERLY PACKED AND SAFE. AFTER MUCH EFFORT WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO LOCATE THE OWNER OF THE SEGWAY VEHICLES AND DETERMINE HOW TO USE THE 'QUICK DISCONNECT' FEATURE ON THE MACHINE IN ORDER TO RENDER THE BATTERY SAFE. I FOUND IT NECESSARY TO SEND MY FO TO THE RAMP TO ENSURE THAT THIS WAS DONE. THE APPARENT WILLINGNESS TO IGNORE ESTABLISHED DANGEROUS GOODS PROCS AND TO 'PENCIL WHIP' A VITAL SAFETY FORM BY THE GND STAFF IS DISTURBING. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF THE IMPLICATIONS FOR FLT SAFETY. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF FAMILIARITY BY THE GND STAFF WITH THE SEGWAY MACHINE. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE COMPANY ESTABLISH PROCS FOR DEALING WITH THESE MACHINES AND TO ENSURE THAT THIS INFO IS DISTRIBUTED TO THE RELEVANT PERSONNEL.