I ranted a bit early on in the thread, but I ended up researching a few options and have decided on an alternate solution. I signed up for ClickSend (https://www.clicksend.com) and for $20 Canadian I have an SMS solution that works for me long-term.
I am converting all of my SMS routines (Classic App & webCoRE) to webCoRE only and am sending Web Requests directly to ClickSend. Using the ClickSend HTTPS GET API, my SMS messages fire instantly.
The webCoRE code is simple. Here is an example:
ClickSend has a free 7 day trial. It worked great to set this up and test the results. They were super attentive and answered all my questions. ClickSend also supports IFTTT.
For anyone using webCoRE who wants to try this, the ClickSend Username & API Key are found in the ClickSend Dashboard at Developers > API Credentials.
Via a webCoRE GET Request using your ClickSend Username and API Key, send your message (string/variable) to your desired SMS number and you’re in business. Very easy.
My $20 CAD will get me 1500+ SMS Messages. I can opt for a dedicated SMS number for approx $4.60 CAD per month, if I want to send the message from a static 10-digit Canadian number, but that is purely optional. I’m not sure what the exact pricing is in other countries but $20 CAD equates to just under 14 EUR and just over 12 GBP (as of 9/26/2019).
I hope this helps.