Basic Visual Voicemail -- does it exist, and how do i use it?

Question

I've learned from this verizon page ( Voice Mail Comparisons | Verizon Wireless ) that there is an included service called 'basic visual voicemail', and according to posts here and elsewhere it is supported on at least some Galaxy S3/4/5 series devices. This is not iphone service, because that service is listed seperately. The 'basic visual voicemail' service is not mentioned anywhere in verizon's ad literature or anywhere in the account information website, and any attempt to add visual voicemail service (online) or access visual voicemail (phone) only triggers the advertisement for the 'premium visual voicemail', which includes additional features beyond visual voicemail. This makes the feature seem 'secret', or maybe it used to be offered and is not availible to new customers.
So the first question, does basic (no additional cost) visual voicemail actually exist? Second, what do I need to do to get it working on my Galaxy S4? Based on other posts, it seems the answer that it may need to be specifically added by a verizon rep, and even then it may be necessary to do an 'unofficial' install of a different software version of the voicemail app than what is availible via the software updates... but I would like to confirm this is legit before I do something that dodgy.

Answer 1

I've used all three - and I prefer You Mail.  You Mail and Verizon's (Premium) VVM are very similar, and You Mail is free.  Both have an app that opens when you hit the notification icon so you can "see" your messages, and click to listen.  Google Voice sends me an email with the transcription, and I can click in the email to listen to the message.  All of them require data to download and listen to the voicemail, but it's, what I consider, minimal.  The translation leaves a bit to be desired, but that's as much a function of the speaker as the translation engine - I can usually get the gist of the message from the transcript, most times I don't need to even listen to the message.
The downside to using You Mail and Google Voicemail is that you need to set up call forwarding to your YM or GVM # - so if you need to set up actual call forwarding for another purpose, you lose the voicemail forwarding.  The Premium VVM worked well for the month I used it (trial has ended), and I have yet to set up either You Mail or Google Voicemail again; I'm using the Basic VVM.  I've yet to receive a voicemail so I haven't tested it!