>Also, am I correct in assuming very few features are available for "basic" users?

The response first appeared, with other messages, in the list of new messages.

I also appeared in the list of replies to you.

You can also hit previous login from the login form to retreive all those new messages again.

As for the basic membership, 85% of the system is given for free. The rest fall in the Premier Membership. However, some powerful options are included in this 15%.