Cannot create Apple ID - "Your account cannot be create at this time"

I am trying to create an Apple ID for a co-worker, so this is an entirely new Apple ID - new email although the phone # may have been used on a previous Apple ID for the person who had the phone previously.

At first it would not allow me from the start page saying "Your account cannot be created at this time", then it allowed me to go through all the way to verifying by email and text. After I sent the text code it said "Please enter the characters you see or hear" but there were no messages, no characters or anything just the same 6 boxes that you would enter in the text code.

I entered in the text code again and it says "Please enter the characters you see or hear" So I chose "Resend Code" and it just hung up on that page.