$_POST does not pass non-alphanumeric

Question

I want to pass data via AJAX. The variable consists of both numbers and non-alphanumeric variables ("001.0/210.00"). My $_POST['task'] doesn't return a value. I've attempted to change the data to JSON, but that doesn't seem to work.

$(document).ready(function(e){
    var trigger = $('.task a'),
    var container = $('#content1');
    trigger.on('click', function(e){

        var shotElement = event.currentTarget.children[0].innerText;

        $.ajax({
            type : 'POST',
            url  : 'indexPipeline.php',
            data : { task: shotElement },
            success :  function(response) {                             
                $("#displayPipeline").load("indexPipeline.php");
            }
        });
        return false;
    });
});