TIMMINS - After over 45 years of fixing fridges, microwaves, stoves, and washing machines, Fred Vankoughnett is hanging up his tool belt.
He started Fred's Appliance Service 47 years ago and has served the community through many technical updates. In retirement, he’s going to miss the people the most.
“If an appliance broke, they’d call me,” he said. “I just loved the people, always calling me back to chat.”
Vankoughnett started his career working for Hobart Canada putting together grocery scales. After a fishing trip to Northern Ontario, he quit and moved north.
“I came up here with my brother-in-law then, and we went to Kenogamissi Lake, and it was really crazy when we got there. We had the boat, but we didn’t have any minnows, we didn’t have any worms, and we didn’t know where to fish,” he said.
The friendliness of the people at the Cache and their willingness to help was part of the draw.
He continued working for Hobart on a route across Northern Ontario for about a year before he decided the travelling was too much.
He’d worked as a repairman for Eaton’s "and I said, 'Well, this is a piece of cake. I can do this."
“It evolved from there," he said.
Fore decades, he’s been the go-to for many in Timmins when their appliances needed repairs, and building that trust with his customers has paid off.
“There were a lot of appliance guys, but they weren’t really nice to deal with,” he said. “I’d just tell them what’s wrong with it, and here’s an estimate, and here’s a price, but then it became word of mouth.”
That was key to his success.
“It takes a long time in this town to trust somebody,” he said. “They were glad to see me again when I came back.”
He still gets approached by people he’s worked for when he’s out and about. And his dog, Lexa, who often travelled to jobs with him, is still often at his side.
“I had parts in the back, and in the middle seats, I had a bed in there, so she’d always go with me to service calls,” he said. “A lot of places would see my dog in the truck, and they’d say, ‘Bring her in, bring her in!’”
The job itself never got boring for Vankoughnett, and there was always something new to learn or work on. He was also very happy when cell phones became available.
“When they came out with the phones, that was great,” he said. “I used to have a brick phone, and I went on service calls with that, and when I would go out to Kidd Mine, it wouldn’t work behind the steel buildings back there.”
In his next phase of life, Vankoughnett and his wife Diane will be busy at their cottage, where they've already started on big projects.
Vankoughnett said that he finally had time to tick things off his list when he went out for his first summer off in June 2023.
“When you’re working, you never get anything accomplished,” he said. “I had a list of things I never got done, I got everything done in one year that I want to do.”
He’s tackling his docks next and planning an early start to the season.
“If I don’t have that, I can’t put the boat in,” he said. “This summer’s big deal is the dock and if I wait too long, I can’t go down there in the muck and the snow.
His best advice for people he’s helped in the past, and any future appliance owners is very simple.
“Get your extended warranty!”
