I'm going to share this in hopes to save anyone else from the runaround I went through, so:
Not knowing what the default was at FU - I asked how to disable VM & was told to log into it & that option would be in the menus someplace...it isn't though.
What actually happens is a long tutorial after which you MUST choose a greeting & then guess what, you've got VM service !! ARGH.
The default for an unconfigured VM s actually EXACTLY what I wanted, but I didn't think to check by calling my own number first - 100% my bad.
So, having already screwed it up, here is what their FAQ tells me:
After being reset, it should do this instead:
Lastly, I saw a bunch of my minutes got used up via the drawn out tutorial that I didn't want to hear & could not stop - pertaining to this I also add this, from their FAQ:
As seems usual with 'free' services, lots of my time has been used just to get it set up - now all I'll want to do is somehow make an automated email reminder so that I will actually renew the thing on time...
Problems with a calendar app;
1 - I am not always at my PC;
2 - It is a 30 day thing rather than just once each month on the same date.
This is a secondary concern though...
1st I need the annoyances cleared up by them & they have shown themselves to be less than great at what they do thus far...being such a new company & using offshored support doesn't help either, I think.
Thanks for your very strong desires to be helpful realLexusl21 & st3fx !!
(Having looked at ReminderGuru - it is very, very cool with all its abilities.)
As explained previously in this same thread - they do a 30-day cycle & I've already done what I need to cover several months of that - so no need for adding apps & such.
Also, as of now, their 'support' has demanded info rather than just doing what could already have been done in a few minutes after reversing the good help already given earlier - thus I remain unimpressed, and as I said to them=>
"Yes, I joined a free service here - and if the support at the free level is this far behind, then what might inspire me to ever consider paying for services here ?!? "
Sorry to hear about your experience. I actually just submitted a ticket online (contact us), and requested that Voicemail be disabled. Within a day or so, they took care of it and now my line will just ring and ring. This works great as Google Voice takes over when a call is forwarded to that line.
As far as the calendar, the google calendar can do what you need. Just create the event or reminder and select the custom option when repeating. Then select 30 for the day’s value and ensure days is selected along with never ending. Once done and you make sure you select a day that goes with your renewal date (I pick 5 days prior to the renewal date), you are all set.
I have done what I can to minimize my exposure to gurgle - GV being the biggest exception, hence why I wish no VM on FU such that the GV VM grabs any/all possible messages for me.
It is a shame that it seems to take the power of a behemoth like gurgle to include such comprehensive features.
By way of contrast, maybe there is a self-hosted offering that also does that, or even Thunderbird's calendar perhaps - I have yet to make any use of that one so I don't know enough about it to say for sure.
FU support finally did something - they reset the VM such that it grabs calls instantly & hangs up on 'em.
So I just disabled this as a forwarding number for GV until they may actually fix it right.
They also removed the .01 credit such that the rotten 'low balance' thing came back...again.
It is sadly amusing how they demand more info, then go home for the day many hours later without ever fixing the stuff.
(Maybe tomorrow they will actually fix something correctly ?!?)
For now, since it is actually free (beyond the cost of the SIM), I'll let it stand alone, BUT:
I am really not impressed with their combo of 'support' between phone & ticket that contradict & confuse each other.
If I'm going to pay someone for some fill-in GSM services vs. 'free', my best choice will still be Red Pocket on special, as of now just because it is far less trouble all around to get & use.