I have to agree that I too have never seen both ends having spring arrangements....could be to do with the dock battery.
As far as the odd appearances, I would think that with a little practice, one could learn to install the batteries in a way that would cause a "spiked" boot sequence to occur and thus cause the problem. It is very good to note this problem as it may be addressed in software (pause xxx on power on boot) and certainly for others to know that it's a simple fix and not a dead Pronto.