diff --git a/app/models/pet.rb b/app/models/pet.rb
index a4aa5214..540a37a3 100644
--- a/app/models/pet.rb
+++ b/app/models/pet.rb
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ class Pet < ApplicationRecord
   # Return the response body as a `HashWithIndifferentAccess`.
   def self.send_amfphp_request(request, timeout: 10)
     begin
-      response = request.post(timeout: timeout, headers: {
+      response_data = request.post(timeout: timeout, headers: {
         "User-Agent" => Rails.configuration.user_agent_for_neopets,
       })
     rescue RocketAMFExtensions::RemoteGateway::AMFError => e
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ class Pet < ApplicationRecord
       raise DownloadError, e.message, e.backtrace
     end
 
-    HashWithIndifferentAccess.new(response.messages[0].data.body)
+    HashWithIndifferentAccess.new(response_data)
   end
 end
 
diff --git a/lib/rocketamf_extensions/remote_gateway/request.rb b/lib/rocketamf_extensions/remote_gateway/request.rb
index d102b6c3..9adde85a 100644
--- a/lib/rocketamf_extensions/remote_gateway/request.rb
+++ b/lib/rocketamf_extensions/remote_gateway/request.rb
@@ -54,7 +54,25 @@ module RocketAMFExtensions
           raise RocketAMF::AMFError.new(first_message_data)
         end
         
-        result
+        # HACK: It seems to me that these messages come back with Windows-1250
+        # (or similar) encoding on the strings? I'm basing this on the
+        # Patchwork Staff item, whose description arrives as:
+        #
+        # "That staff is cute, but dont use it as a walking stick \x96 I " +
+        # "dont think it will hold you up!"
+        #
+        # And the `\x96` is meant to represent an endash, which it doesn't in
+        # UTF-8 or in most extended ASCII encodings, but *does* in Windows's
+        # specific extended ASCII.
+        #
+        # Idk if this is something to do with the AMFPHP spec or how the AMFPHP
+        # server code they use serializes strings (I couldn't find any
+        # reference to it?), or just their internal database encoding being
+        # passed along as-is, or what? But this seems to be the most correct
+        # interpretation I know how to do, so, let's do it!
+        result.messages[0].data.body.tap do |body|
+          reencode_strings! body, "Windows-1250", "UTF-8"
+        end
       end
       
       private
@@ -86,6 +104,16 @@ module RocketAMFExtensions
           raise ConnectionError, e.message
         end
       end
+
+      def reencode_strings!(target, from, to)
+        if target.is_a? String
+          target.force_encoding(from).encode!(to)
+        elsif target.is_a? Array
+          target.each { |x| reencode_strings!(x, from, to) }
+        elsif target.is_a? Hash
+          target.values.each { |x| reencode_strings!(x, from, to) }
+        end
+      end
     end
     
     class ConnectionError < RuntimeError