Larry Z. - General Manager-Customer Service Estimator

I have been with Nick Orso’s some 25 years. I took a short sabbatical and worked for some other well know collision shops when it became all too apparent that I belonged at Nick Orso’s. I was not happy with the ethics of the other shops and had some real issues with the influence insurance companies were able to apply daily. The other shops I worked for were either managed poorly or were really confused as to who the customer was. Insurance Companies were allowed control to the degree that cars were not only repaired poorly but costs had to be “made up” in the most creative ways. I just wasn’t comfortable.

At Nick Orso’s I have never been asked to do anything that is unethical or that could possibly cause a customer any reason for concern. The safety of our repaired cars is our biggest concern. We pay attention to every aspect of the repair. We document every part of the repair so as to protect the owner’s right to collect for diminished value. We always discuss options when faced with insurance companies who attempt to restrict payment on a claim. Aftermarket and Used Parts are not considered unless the owner of the car is informed and acknowledges acceptance, unlike shops where they are required to include them as a matter of contract.

Should an insurance company restrict allowance, not only is the file documented but the insurance company is put on written notice. The customer is notified and given the option of determining various remedies. We are never afraid to speak to a customer and voice our concerns. We are never in debt to any insurance company who might limit us. Our customers will know it if a concern for safety exists or of any warranty limitations as soon as we become aware of them.

I am confident the repairs we complete are made under the highest level of supervision and meet standards equal to the original given human limitations and financial allowances. Our customers’ cars are inspected at each step of the repair and overseen by a department manager and lastly inspected by the file handler and/or Mike Orso personally before delivery and review with the customer. Our warranty is honored in writing and should there ever be a question the customer is given the benefit of the doubt. I am proud to be part of Nick Orso’s Body Shop.

Larry Z.

Charles A. - Assistant Manager Customer Service

I have been associated with the auto-collision industry for 35 years. My family owned a own body shop. I’ve managed independent and dealer body shops all over CNY. I worked as a licensed independent appraiser for almost 20 years where I dealt with every single collision repair shop in CNY period! Over that time I can honestly say the most straightforward aggressive shop owner I ever dealt with was Mike Orso. He never played games with me and always told it like it was whether I liked it at the time or not.

Whether fighting to get a tight-fisted insurance company to cough up a part, paying for a total loss or taking one to court, Mike never backed down. Mike and Nick Orso’s have one goal: to repair a damaged vehicle right and represent their customer fairly. I know the success of Nick Orso’s has been because they put their customer first in every situation even above a profit. When it came time for me to exit the Insurance Industry by my own choice, it was because my conscience could not take what insurers were doing to consumers anymore.

The first place I went was Nick Orso’s to seek employment. I have worked for Nick Orso’s for 10 years now and I can honestly say that I have never been asked to do anything wrong. Every repair effort is managed with one goal: satisfy the customer; everything else will fall in place. That philosophy applies to each detail of a repair. Mike is a stickler for making sure every step of the repair is checked and re-checked and done properly before the next step; that every part paid for is verified on each car. Our quality control measures will not allow a car to proceed to the next step before a previous step is approved. Every vehicle passes through at least 15 different people before it completes the repair process. And….. Mike oversees steps and will often send a car back for an obscure detail during or after the repair is complete. I used to visit many collision shops and Nick Orso’s is head and shoulders above everyone! I often participate in Wreck Check inspections and have seen some horrible work from some of the other big local shops. We honestly go above and beyond the call of duty, it’s just the way Mike wants it. Much of what I remember: Mike and his Father built the business on Hard Work!

I also head up the OSHA department at Nick Orso’s. We invite OSHA and NYS Dept of Labor in for inspections and conduct regular classes for employee training and safety update and review. Each employee is monitored, given safety training and appropriate health protection.

I work for a company that talks about customer service, advertises for and then accomplishes it, and those customer testimonials prove it.

Charles A. NYS LIC # IA

Marc V. - Production Manager

I have been involved my entire adult life, some 20+ years in autobody repair at Nick Orso’s. I was personally trained and schooled by Mike and Nick Orso in each aspect of collision, painting and detailing. My specialty is Paint, and I have managed the paint and production departments at Nick’s for over 10 years. I oversee the technicians and I am in charge of quality control. It is my job to inspect every car as it leaves the Body Department or before, during and after painting. Whether it is inspecting a body technician’s body work, welding or panel alignment, it must get past me before the paint department takes over. I am I-Car trained.

I was trained to be a stickler and a perfectionist, learning the trade from the Detail shop inward. Criticism is not what a lot of body or paint techs want to hear but it’s my job. Mike always tells me, “You’re not here to make friends, you’re here to make sure the cars are done right to the best of our ability, given the project guidelines.” I have never been asked to cut a corner or produce anything less than a quality repair, nor would I ever allow it. Mike has always instilled the concept that it is easier to do it right once, and if it’s not right, to make it right and move on. We use only the best materials and do a considerable amount of testing before we change any product or introduce a new product. Safety is always our key concern, not only for our customers and their cars, but safety is a major concern in everything that the shop does.

I have been involved in many of the restorations that the shop completes. I typically work very close with car owners. We are very proud of all of the cars we complete whether they go out on the highway or they are tucked away in a collector’s garage. I enjoy my work although it is challenging. We have a lot of fun and there is a great sense of accomplishment in doing it. I think it shows in the finished product.

Marc V.

Walt L. - Parts Manager-Asst. Estimator

I am a Licensed NYS Appraiser. I’ve worked in the collision industry for over 40 years. I was part owner of my own shop and was a staff appraiser for a large insurance company. I retired from the insurance industry about 10 years ago. When I decided that I did not want to go fishing every day, I thought about looking to work part-time. Nick Orso’s was the first shop I called. Nick’s was for years the toughest shop I would visit as an appraiser. However I could never argue with anything they asked me for because they were right. I used to have to do a lot of explaining to re-inspectors when I worked for the insurance company, but I could never find fault with Nick’s estimates or completed work. I was made to try to under-cut the jobs with cheaper parts or repair vs replacement parts because that’s just what the insurance company demanded, and my pay and advancement was tied to it.

I now head up the Parts Department including purchase and supply at Nick’s, and I have been working directly for the Orsos during my time at Nick’s. I have never been asked to do something unethical or improper. I have never been asked to do anything that would ever hurt a customer or jeopardize the safety of anyone. We purchase the best parts we can, and we diligently research the best prices on parts and supplies. We compare apples to apples, and I can tell you this: we will use only an Aftermarket body part if the customer knows it, and if that is all the insurance will allow for. It is a constant battle to get SOME insurance companies to allow for the needed parts as they look to cut every corner on every repair. In many cases if it were not for the efforts of Mike’s standards and Nick’s staff, consumers would have no advocate at all. I can only imagine what is going on at some of the Direct Repair Shops where insurance companies control each move. In fact, I know because I used to re-inspect some of those shops’ repairs and I can tell you there were many inconsistencies and some really questionable practices.

I could not imagine working for anyone else, and I refer my friends and family to Nick Orso’s because I know the job will be done right and Mike backs up his warranty 100%. Nick Orso’s is, “ The Finest in Collision Repair.” I’m proud to work here.

Walt L. IA#

Jose S. - Paint Finishing-Detail Department

I have been employed by Nick Orso’s for almost 10 years. In that time I have been in charge of the detail shop and the paint-polishing department. I inspect each and every car as it is cleaned and polished. Some 100 specific details are checked. Each detail from interior and exterior paint color match to overspray detection, caulking and cleaning is very important to every part of a collision repair. Mike Orso and my department associates make sure that it is understood by every one that touches a car that each person is to inspect the work of a previous worker before accepting the task of continuing, or completing the repair or task.

At the end of a repair each car is detailed in and out and inspected again by me before it is turned over to the file handler, and before it is delivered to the customer. Very often a car will be returned to a department because of even the smallest detail. We are instructed to never allow anything to go un-noted. I also inspect vehicles before they enter the shop to establish existing wear and tear before it enters the work stream.

During the time I have been employed by Nick Orso’s I have never been asked to do anything to a customer’s car that would be considered improper or unethical. The work ethic I was brought up with and that is required by my job does not allow for any mistakes. I left another well known collision shop because I was not happy with their work quality. At Nick Orso’s the process of collision repair is taken very seriously and the quality of the repairs are the best I’ve seen. It is very demanding work but I like my job.

Jose S.

Robert S. - Paint Preparation Dept.

I am relatively new at Nick Orso’s Body Shop, about 6 months into my employment; but not new to collision repair as I have been working in the industry for 15 years. I am I-Car and ASE trained and worked for another Multi-shop Company here in central NY where there were questionable events daily. I can honestly say, "at Nick Orso’s they do it right, no games." There are no instructions to cut corners, and we don’t deviate from proven repair methods and standards unless the customer is informed and instructs us to do so. Every repair is monitored at each step before it moves to the next stage. Do we make mistakes, YES! But with constant checks and inspections, mistakes don’t get very far. We correct them.

Other shops I have worked for regularly used cheap-quality paint, and aftermarket and salvaged parts as a normal daily function. At those other shops we were instructed to slam cars together with more concern for time and the interests of their insurance company Direct Repair Contracts - called partners - than the interest of the customer.

At Nick Orso’s repairing a car safely and keeping the customer in the loop is how Nick Orso’s manages a repair. I see it every day! In fact I know this as a customer too, because we wrecked our personal car and rather than fix it at home, I decided to let Nick Orso’s handle the insurance company and the repair. I saw every inch of the repair and I know they did the best they could, given the age of the vehicle and the allowances that the insurance allowed. I am confident that every repair we complete is done the same way.

I have never worked for a company that did more OSHA training and related testing and inspections. They are sticklers for everyone’s safety. Sometimes it’s a real pain, but I’m pleased to be part of a company that has standards that put safety for all first; customer service and quality are reality not just talk.

Robert S.