951-530-4160

Caller ID only showed the number, but no name.
Caller left a message calling himself “Antoine” and stating, in one of those “good-old-boy” southern accents speaking over rather noticeable boiler room background noise, that he was a “Non-attorney debt collector” working for the “Scott Lowery Law Office” asking for a Lewis Ayard.  It was one of those “This call is for XXX.  If you are not XXX hang-up now.  By remaining on the line you acknowledge you are XXX.  Yada, yada, yada…” messages.  This guy didn’t even pause between “hang-up now” and “By remaining on the line...” to allow someone to hang-up, he just kept running with his spiel.  Either he didn’t hear the outgoing message on the machine, is totally clueless or didn’t care, as he assumed he was talking to “Lewis Ayard” and would pause occasionally as if he expected a response.  Unfortunately for him he was speaking to an answering machine that can’t help but stay on the line after the hang-up notice when callers ask for Lewis, Luis, Juan, Veronica, Monica, Latisha, or Anna, all members of the (rather large) “Ayard” family.  All of whom have apparently owed money to various credit card companies, utilities, retailers, medical clinics and even the local County Government for at least a couple years.  “Antoine” is not going to find any Ayards here, and since I don’t want to hear from him or anyone else that works at their “Law Office”, all future calls will be redirected to my FAX machine, like so many other debt collectors in the past.