That one-liner is a... condensation of mine of a full-fledged script, that doesn't work either. So -e isn't the culprit, definitely.

Thanks anyway for trying to help

I've got some boxes. What version, patch-level, hardware, etc.?

I feel like helping in my own sloth-type way if you don't mind.

Ask the sysadmins? Maybe someone got 'slick' and replaced ping or some other bin/lib w/their own (devious) routines. I doubt it but it happened to me once or twice in a sub-par shop.