FAQ Billing by SLSP
You recently used fee-based services on swisscovery.slsp.ch, and these are now being billed via SLSP, as well as any reminders you may have received. SLSP operates the swisscovery platform on behalf of 470 libraries in Switzerland, and administers the billing process on their behalf.
Billing is carried out monthly by SLSP for the fee-based swisscovery services used in the month before last (i.e. in May for March).
Use the QR code you received via email to pay your bill. The QR bill can be paid using your mobile banking app or e-banking. The QR code contains all the relevant information necessary for the payment process. Please note that a reference number must be provided when payment data is entered manually. Payments with no reference number cannot be assigned and will be reimbursed, with your bill remaining unpaid.
In libraries where this was possible in the past, you will generally continue to be able to pay fees directly. Please enquire in advance whether this service is still available. Fees that have been billed via SLSP cannot be paid at the library and must be paid using the QR bill. Libraries have access to the library platform only, not to the central SLSP billing system.
The QR code for mobile and online banking is an extra feature on the bill, which still works just like a normal paying-slip. It contains all the information you need, such as the payee, account number, reference number, currency, amount, etc., so you can also pay the bill using your existing payment methods. If you don’t have mobile or online banking, you can pay the bill over the counter at a Swiss Post branch or with a payment order in an envelope at your bank.
If you have any questions regarding individual items on your bill, contact the library responsible for the item directly. Complaints are accepted by the library responsible within 30 days following dispatch of the bill.
SLSP produces a collective bill for all libraries affiliated with swisscovery. The invoice shows from which library the relevant service was obtained. It may be the case that services from certain libraries are not included as they are not part of swisscovery and/or the services are billed by the library directly.
Please refer to the schedule of fees at SLSP | swisscovery pricing. Please note that libraries affiliated with swisscovery determine individually which services on swisscovery are subject to a fee for their customers, and the level of these fees.
Your personal data (e.g. postal address, email address for billing) must be corrected directly in your SWITCH edu-ID account. The libraries cannot process your personal details. Bills are issued via email, and contain your preferred postal address, which you can enter on the registration platform.
You can choose whether to use your office or private address as your preferred postal address (swisscovery – managing library cards). In the case of an Institutional Account please send an email to swisscovery@slsp.ch, as these accounts cannot be managed via a SWITCH edu-ID account.
If you have paid too much by mistake when paying your bill, you can use the refund form to request a refund of the overpayment. Send the completed form to swisscovery@slsp.ch.
Upon receipt of your account information, refunds can be made after appropriate verification.
If no payment is received by SLSP by the payment deadline, a reminder will be issued. If this reminder is ignored, a final reminder will be issued after 30 days. If the bill remains unpaid, the library where the fees were incurred reserves the right to temporarily block your access to swisscovery until payment has been made. If you are unable to pay the outstanding amount within the final deadline, please contact the library indicated.
You can view the fees associated with your account in swisscovery under: My account > Fees. The fees shown here can still be paid directly at the library (if the service is offered by the library). Fees that have been billed and/or already paid are no longer visible, as they have been transferred to the SLSP financial management system and are processed further from there.
SLSP recommends carrying out transfers in Swiss francs, as the net outstanding amount is due in this currency. All fees for foreign payments are borne by you. To ensure that SLSP, or rather the library, receives the full amount, and your bill is settled correctly, please enter the details from the bill correctly. If you are unable to transfer the amount in Swiss francs, please contact the library where the fees were incurred.
As an alternative to expensive foreign payments, SLSP recommends paying bills at a branch of the post office ‘Die Post’ in Switzerland, where QR bills can be paid easily.
Please send an email to swisscovery@slsp.ch with your contact details, and we will send you a new bill. Before you do so, please check that the billing email with SLSP as the sender is not in your spam folder.