So Riombara doesn't loot because it is "looting shy", but when it applies to you, it's a big bad bug? How convenient.
If it prevents someone from doing something they wouldn't have done much of anyways and also someone who can do nothing else but it, the levels of nuisance it creates are not equal. In addition, our refit cycles are longer, so if it is timed with when we march out, and only gets fixed when we leave, as it did both times, then that means a significant period in which we can't do any damage.
Indeed, we've taken pauses between each campaign to TO a region, but we so far have never gotten to loot anyone, despite the numerous chances we would have had and despite how significant the damage could have been. Hell, if it weren't for the bugs, odds are Reeds would be a pile of rubbles by now, which would have helped Fronen a lot, and that Rio's food production would have gotten a serious dent.
So yea, since we would have used it more, since it would have caused more damage than your own looting, and since their timing were perfectly synchronized to screw us over because of our long refit cycles, it did not affect us on the same level. Rio still got to do some looting this last month or two. It still got to do takeovers. Fheuv'n can't do TOs on enemy lands, and we never got a chance to loot anyone either.