My earlier update in this thread today should have included another email message I received from support@moodlecloud.com. The other message was from support@moodle.com, but the two messages were sent within one minute of each other, so I guess the solution referred to in the "Case 00095262 Solved" message was this message that I quote below (but it's not really a solution for my case):
"Thanks for contacting Moodle HQ.
We apologise for our delay in responses at this time. Unprecedented demand due to COVID-19 is putting pressure on the MoodleCloud support team, preventing us from providing the level of customer support we expect from ourselves. We have added staff to the team late last week and expect to have cleared the backlog of support tickets in the coming days.
You must use a mobile phone number (not VOIP), as you will receive an SMS (text message). Be sure you are selecting the correct country prefix for your phone number. [I did use a mobile phone number, not VOIP, and I did choose the correct country prefix.]
Another option is to sign up for our starter site, it is $80AUD per year and you can sign up with the email verification process. For more information about our plans, check out our pricing page. [I'd rather try the free option first if it is truly an option. I think I'll need the full 45 day free trial period to evaluate the Moodle instance.]
You can learn all about how to set up your MoodleCloud site in our Quick Start Guide.
You can keep up to date with our systems on our service status page.
We offer limited support on this helpdesk, so your question might be best addressed by visiting the Moodle community and documentation. If you require dedicated support then we recommend you speak to one of our Moodle Partners. They offer a range of services including hosting, support, training, consultancy, implementation, integrations, customisations, reporting, analytics and course content creation. A list can be found at
https://moodle.com/partners/
And here is a list of resources you can use for help on any other Moodle topic:
Moodle Community forums -
http://moodle.org/support Here you will find links to many Moodle subject forums and loads of useful conversations about configuring Moodle.
Moodle Documentation -
http://docs.moodle.org Search for documentation on any Moodle topic, including site administration, managing courses, enrolment,
activities and loads more.
If you can't find the answer you are looking for, post a question in the Moodle forums and one of the many Moodle experts in the community is likely to have an answer for you.
If you have any further questions, please let me know or visit our FAQ page
Kind regards,
Xxxxx (redacted from original)
MoodleCloud Support
The MoodleCloud Team
ref:_00D4P1dVKf._5004P1I9XBR:ref"
I've included my comments in square brackets and inline with the text of the email message. It does not really provide a solution, but I understand that the helpdesk is overwhelmed with issues to address. I would like to try a free MoodleCloud option if that really is an option. But I'm doing everything correctly, and it appears to not really be an option (if I cannot validate my configuration with a code received via SMS to a proper mobile phone number, not a VOIP number).
Thanks for any suggestions.
