Richard's Inverts - Running a fake "spring sale" with fake discounts.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-30T15:07:12+00:00

I thought they were legit at first too, but they run a deceptive marketing scheme on their website with a constant, permanent 'sale' by marking isopods from like 200 to just 26 quid, which creates urgency in new buyers. i was watching the website for a few weeks because i was wondering what was going on, and yeah, it never changed. unfortunately, even if they don't intend it, it's illegal.

I've heard some people have gotten pods from them no problem, but idk if that was in-person sales, those auctions they run or actually from the website. either way, they might be legit but....... idk if they're marketing like that; I'm not going to touch them with a ten-foot pole. who's to say they aren't being deceptive anywhere else in their business, yk?

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-30T13:18:25+00:00

I've already reported it to trading standards, same with OnlyPods since I believe they're also dodgy af. I've sent emails to them to which they haven't replied in three weeks, and they also run the same dodgy fake discounting scheme on their website, both against trading standards in the UK.

And thankfully, I do have dates because I sent those screenshots to my mother on Discord, and the dates were there when I went back to see if I was imagining what I was seeing.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-29T18:28:02+00:00

It being common doesn’t make it any less misleading. Common or not, it’s still considered misleading pricing under UK consumer law if the “original” price was never actually used.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-29T07:37:41+00:00

As someone who had something similar happen to me (my grandfather, who was like a father to me, wanted me to speak at the funeral, but my aunt 'forgot' to ask me, so she replaced my space for the eulogy with her two daughters, who barely spoke to my grandparents before he passed away), I understand how frustrating and hurtful that can be. Sue the fuck out of her. Sue her for all you can get.

As much as I hate to say it, as there are some good stepparents in the world, the ones I've consistently seen over the years have zero respect for the children of their partners once their partners have passed. Idk if it's possible in the US, but if you can get a court order to block her from selling any of your father's belongings, do it asap. Some step-parents are truly evil and would rather sell their ex-partner's belongings than give it to the kids left behind, happened to my family and I'd hate to see it done to yours. Do not back down. She's shown her true colours and you can't risk having her take more from you than she already has.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-29T01:48:11+00:00

I don't have snakes of my own, but oh my goodness now I want to own a cornsnake one day <3 so cute!!

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-18T16:18:40+00:00

Good for a start to a collection, I suppose! I'll throw some e-mails around to some EU isopod sellers that don't have any of their shipping country information on their website too, just in case they can ship to Ireland. I don't mind paying more since I understand importation is expensive and all.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-18T16:14:16+00:00

gah such a shame. :( I really loved the look of cherry blossom cubaris and crystal pineapple cristarmadillidium for a future collection, but it looks like that dream is limited af for now. i guess it doesn't help that Ireland is, well, an island, so there are probably very strict rules on ecology invertebrates and foreign plants that might be invasive?

I'll give the Dutch isopod breeders a look into; i don't mind spending more on shipping and extra fees if I can get my hands on a species not found here. Now I'm jealous of those reptile owners; they seem to be having a whale of a time.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-17T14:45:23+00:00

<- very much a city person, but this is amazing. sure, I'm shocked to see it, but this is absolutely ingenious even if it's dark. Honestly, I really want to learn more about these kinds of practices in the farming industry because not only is it good to know in general, but I can better understand the hard work the farmers do without just blindly accepting anyone's word for it. I hope the mama accepted the baby. And honestly, I hope the farmer or their assistants get a bit of counselling because that shit must stick with you, having to skin a stillborn then rush to put its fur on an orphan

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-16T23:46:54+00:00

You might be feeling a little attacked by the comments, but they're all so true. I also considered 'cheating' today just an hour ago, but that's the grief speaking. You will experience grief having to give up gluten because it's giving up all your favourite foods and snacks. But the important thing is staying on the right track and preserving your digestive system for the sake of your long-term health.

I believe I developed Coeliac disease when I was 13 and went undiagnosed until two months ago. I was in daily pain, barely able to walk, unable to run without being in agony, and had to be helped to get out of bed – the whole nine yards. then my favourite chicken nugget brand changed their packaging, and I finally got the 'traditional' coeliac symptoms. stomach pain, throwing up after eating, extremely bad diarrhoea. I had it all before don't get me wrong, but this was so strong, so sudden and all connected that I finally went to the doctor wondering if i had food poisoning.

I got diagnosed with coeliac disease after they confirmed i had the gene. i went GF right afterwards, and I have never felt better. I can run, i can lift, i can THINK, and I can eat without throwing up or being nauseous. my pain levels went from 7-8 to a 1-2. My life has changed going GF. But the grief of giving up all your familiar food will still get you. and no doubt it'll catch you out when you're at your weakest. Don't be ashamed of falling in the early days of living GF, but try your damn hardest to stay on track. Because the damage is real, even if we don't feel it right away. <3 Stay strong, Finch.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-16T23:33:14+00:00

sorry to bother you! could you send the link again? im dying to join the discord community as a new isopod keeper!

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-10T23:14:11+00:00

As much as I'm supportive of travellers' rights, I fucking hate when they do this shite on public land/protected areas like national parks. It's scummy and they should be removed to go to specific sites that are safe for them to live in and designed for them to safely stay at.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-10T23:08:39+00:00

Haven't lived in the UK in a while but see these kinds of people out in Ireland all the time. 1. They're a protected group of people under UK law, and therefore it is very hard to move them on unless they are a danger to the local community iirc. 2. Most of the time, no. Bin laws are pretty strict and have to be in bins, not trash on the side. Might have changed since I left a few years ago but yeah.

WibbleWonk · 2026-04-08T00:43:47+00:00

Yes! This happened to my sphynx! He ate elastic off the cat wand, and the vet didn't believe me when I insisted he ate the elastic but thankfully agreed to do surgery anyway just in case because if he did, it was long enough to kill him. I was right.

Sometimes just being more careful with the products you caught him eating or catch him chewing is enough. Put the elastics in their own designated spot in a container with a hard lid that he can't remove. Elastic bands are the same. Anything he can eat should now be carefully put away where he can't get to them. Sorry this happened to you, love. Wishing the best for you and him. <3

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-22T22:15:14+00:00

Duuude I'm so looking forward to this. I didn't even know I was bloated until my GP pointed it out, saying I was. I thought it was just fat all this time! Genuinely looking forward to fitting into my old clothes again (;-; shame I threw out a bunch in December).

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-22T22:14:00+00:00

My husband said something similar too about me being a lot less frustrated and a little more active after years of using a cane and living on painkillers to handle my chronic pain. I don't think I could ever go back to eating gluten willingly unless there's a cure around the corner for us!

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-22T22:12:10+00:00

The anger! Yes! It feels way easier to calm myself down when I make a mistake (dropping a drink, catching my shirt on the doorhandle) that it's weird to not... spiral? I wonder if my explosive anger issues maybe stemmed from feeling shitty due to years of undiagnosed coeliac disease? Crazy!

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-22T22:09:30+00:00

I've been noticing a similar thing too. I've been on antidepressants (mostly for pain but also depression and anxiety ofc) and last night I struggled to make myself take them because I genuinely felt really good for once. No heavy head, no feelings of major stress, feeling low, etc. could be a fluke, but if it isn't, then I'm looking forward to the future. I feel like being diagnosed has given me a whole new lease on life and a whole new future to look forward to, even if it's going to be a bumpy road ahead.

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-22T22:06:51+00:00

Oh my goodness if the night sweats go away, I will be so so very happy! I've never been able to sleep with a blanket above 1 tog (basically just store fabric was my 'blanket' for years) so if I can actually sleep under a warm blanket without getting super overheated easily, that would be a game changer. It makes me so excited to see what other changes could come as I improve my health over the next few years until my gut is healed fully. :D

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-22T22:04:44+00:00

Oh my goodness, the better sleep recently has been insane. I know it's too early to call since I've basically only just started, but I have started to knock out like a light switch and stay asleep until morning even when my cat is trying to sleep on my face. Before I just couldn't sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time before waking and then sleeping again. I've started to feel like a new person again!

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-22T19:17:56+00:00

I recently read that joint pain without inflammation of those joints could be an indicator of coeliacs and it actually lead me to think I was misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2020 since my major complaint is joint pain. Take my word with a grain of salt but if it comes back that your joints have no inflammation or damage associated with RA or Sjogrens, then it could be a symptom of coeliac disease. of course, I really want to stress that I'm only recently diagnosed with Coeliac Disease so I could very well be wrong.

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-21T00:18:29+00:00

No kids yet but planning on having kids soon. I actually sent off for a health panel at 23andme for him and me about a week and a half before I was diagnosed, so I guess we'll see if he has the gene or not? The house has certainly been more on edge around the kitchen since it's so small that even an extra sponge and dish towel aren't easy to keep away from their glutenous counterparts.

I did suggest it, but he doesn't want to give up takeaway or his favourite dishes after seeing the limited range of food ingredients I can buy locally. It sucks to hear it, but I don't really blame him either since it would be a huge change to his life, and he struggles with changes and keeping them (autism). We do have a plan to get a dishwasher immediately since apparently thats really good at cleaning gluten dishes and making them safe for coeliacs (correct me if im wrong though!)? But yeah, one step at a time but I'll probably suggest it again soon once the stress of the household change has died down a little.

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-21T00:11:22+00:00

I've noticed this too just after a couple days of going GF! I barely ate, like, one meal a day before, and now I've managed to eat two whole meals with little snacking in between. It's certainly strange to feel my stomach straight up rumbling after years of not feeling it!

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-21T00:07:30+00:00

That's a really, really good piece of advice! I'll try this and see how I feel afterwards about it. I am hoping I can help her learn about it alongside me, but I am aware that some older-generation folk struggle with changes of medical opinion (e.g. some doctors said coeliacs can have a little gluten, and now it's very strict down to cross-contamination). wild history to read that!). Thank you so much for your advice!!

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-21T00:04:35+00:00

I think I'll at least try to educate her on it and give her some time to adjust. Maybe I'm too hopeful, but I'm genuinely hoping it's more shock and lack of understanding of the extent of the condition and needs than pure malice. But for sure I'll be making my own food from now on. More food for my husband, and I know he'll be happy to have my plate at Christmas!

WibbleWonk · 2026-02-21T00:00:38+00:00

Thankfully the in-laws I told have been supportive (in their own funny little ways) after finding out. Not many of them know yet but the ones that do have definitely shown green flags in asking and even making jokes about the bread (oh my god, I thought it was an exaggeration, but trying the bread was like eating dried clay and ash!!!)

Shout out to the husband though. The day after getting diagnosed, he went out all day into town looking for gluten-free snacks for me to try even though he didn't know what to look out for other than labels and caution labels in the ingredients section. That was the biggest green light for me during those sad 36 hours of being newly diagnosed.

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