PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A Pasco County family claims their attempt to upgrade their water softener system instead left them with orange water flowing from their taps and a $9,000 system missing after they said their contractor took it and never returned.
In August, Angie Moore hired Tri-County Water, a Spring Hill-based company owned by Charles Walczak. Moore said the initial scope of work was to remove some chlorine tanks from her property, but Moore said that changed when Walczak saw her water softener system.
"He looked at our water softener and said 'oh your water softener is hooked up backwards, it's going to need to come out because the iron is built up in your tank,'" Moore said.
The total job would cost $2,000 and Moore paid an $800 deposit, according to a receipt she provided to Tampa Bay 28.
"He came back and removed the system but he never came back with the new system," Moore said.
Without a water softener, Moore said her water turned orange.
"It was going to destroy my appliances, my toilets were orange," Moore said. "Whenever we would take a shower it would leave a film on our skin. My hair has highlights in it so of course my hair turned orange because it picked up every sediment from the water."
The situation was particularly concerning for Moore because she keeps two miniature horses on her property in memory of her 17-year-old daughter Maddie, who died suddenly eight years ago.
"If a horse does not have enough clean drinking water they can colic and die," Moore said.
Moore said she contacted Walczak multiple times but he never returned. She said she eventually hired another company and bought a new water softener system.
Tampa Bay 28 Consumer Investigative Reporter Susan El Khoury reached out to Walczak multiple times but he chose not to do an interview.
This isn't the first time Tri-County Water has faced complaints. Two months before Moore hired the company, David Hibbard of Brooksville contacted Susan Solves It saying Walczak took his water softener for repairs but never returned it. After Tampa Bay 28 started asking questions, Walczak returned the system, but it still wasn't working properly. After Tampa Bay 28 shared Hibbard’s story, the owner of City Soft Water & Plumbing, Derrick Nails decided to reach out and help.
In Moore's case, she reported the incident to the Florida Attorney General's Office, but she said she discovered that installing a new system might have limited her legal recourse under state law.
Florida law requires contractors to complete work within 60 days. At the end of that period, customers can send a demand letter, giving contractors another 30 days to fix the problem. If they don't comply, they could be found guilty of theft and prosecuted.
However, there are catches. Customers can't terminate or breach the contract and must follow specific time limits. In Moore's case, she didn't wait the required 90 days and installed a new system.
"I in good faith paid Tri-County water to install a new system and then they didn't follow through," Moore said. "How can the Florida law be on my side if they expect me to live 90 days with orange water?"
Rick Plymale, an investigator with Seniors Versus Crime, a volunteer division of the Florida Attorney General's Office, said the current law may not adequately protect consumers.
"My initial opinion is I think it's a little weak," Plymale said. "Nobody realizes they have to go read a statute, and they shouldn't have to, but that's the way the law is, and that's what we have to work with."
Plymale said customers need to understand their rights under current law.
"Personally, I don't think it's strong enough, but that's for the legislature," Plymale said. "If I give somebody a deposit and they do nothing they have 4 months before they have to do anything or get in trouble — that's the way I read it."
In addition to her missing $9,000 system, Moore said she paid nearly $3,000 for a new system. The plumber who installed it, ClearQuest Water Solutions, gave Moore a $1,600 discount "due to prior contractor loss," according to a provided invoice.
While Moore would like compensation, she said she's speaking out to try to prevent this from happening to others.
"I want him to stop doing this to people," Moore said. "The laws need to be changed."
Tampa Bay 28 contacted state lawmakers about these concerns. Both the House and Senate have committees that deal with licensed professions like contractors. Several lawmakers have responded, but as of now, no changes have been proposed.
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