Good luck with Q-Link.
I had their service back when they used Sprint as a carrier, and it was great.
Then T-Mobile bought Sprint, and the service became worthless.
So I was without a working device for three months, and could not even get anyone from Q-Link on the phone.
I wound up getting the exact same device that you have now, in the hopes that a new device would be more compatible with the new system, but that was not the case.
I ended up switching my provider to TruConnect.
Unfortunately, TruConnect still uses the pitiful excuse for provider that is T-Mobile.
But the device did work, just not at home.
It worked fine while I was at work, where I am not able to use the phone.
Then there were multiple times that the device decided that it was time to update- both apps and the device- which I did not want at all.
Finally, I hit the wrong button once and it tried to update a bunch of crap that I find undesireable.
That was the final straw for me, and I actually smashed the device onto the driveway and immediately went and got an unlocked device.
I can totally appreciate not having the money to have a good device, and having to take what is available.
I even actually really liked ZTE devices right up untill I had the Quest 5.
I could not believe how bad ZTE had gotten.
My first Android was the ZTE Maven 812, and my next device was a ZTE as well (557VL)
These devices lasted for years and worked well, but the Quest 5 was basically a step backwards in all respects.
Anyway, try dialing your own cell number.
If you cannot get into voicemail that way, then try long pressing the 1 key on the dialer.