HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — What started as a basic repair turned into a homeowner being out thousands of dollars and stuck with water he couldn’t use after hiring a Florida repairman to fix his water softener system.
Every faucet at David Hibbard’s Hernando County house had brown water running through it.
WATCH: 'He ghosted me': Homeowner left with brown water after Florida man's repair job
In February, Hibbard noticed his water softener system, which consisted of an iron filter tank and a water tank, was leaking. He hired Tri-County Water, a Spring Hill-based company owned by Charles Walczak.
“He came right out that same day. He tested the water,” Hibbard said. “He said he could replace the two heads that go on the tank, and I said I really don’t have the money because my wife just passed away.”
Hibbard paid Tri-County Water $270 in cash, which he said was the total bill for Walczak to remove the tanks, repair them, and then reinstall them. Hibbard said only the first step happened.
"He ghosted me," Hibbard said. “I’d call and call and call and call. I’d text him. I’d message him on Messenger. We messaged him on Facebook, and no response."
Hibbard drove to the business address listed for Tri-County Water, which was a house in Spring Hill, and spotted his tanks sitting in the front yard.
“I trusted you man and look what you did to us.”
“The water softener we paid $3,400 for,” Hibbard explained. “If he doesn’t get this fixed, then I’m going to have to replace it, and I don’t know how I’m going to come up with the money.”
He filed a report with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, but investigators said the State Attorney’s Office declined to file criminal charges. Then Hibbard reached out to Susan Solves It.
ABC Action News found Tri-County Water is not a registered business as required by Florida law.
Walczak turned down an interview and said that instead of repairing the system, he planned to install a new one at additional cost.
A few days later, Hibbard had a water softener, but some things were still missing. Hibbard said Walczak only brought a water tank—there wasn’t an iron filter. On top of that, he said the water tank needs repairs.
“He broke the thong off the motor and put a zip tie on it. When this circles through, this zip tie goes right there, and the motor goes,” Hibbard said as he pointed out how the motor rattled. “It’s not running efficiently.”
When homeowners hire repair services to work on their home, it’s recommended that they check with Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation to see if the worker is licensed. However, under state law, workers do not need a license to work on water conditioning systems, which include water softeners. They also do not need to be a licensed plumber.