Elsevier debt collector chasing me for £2,080 APC I believed was covered by institutional agreement — advice needed
Hi all, I'd really appreciate some advice on a stressful publication fee situation.
About a year ago, I published a paper in an Elsevier journal based on my PhD research, co-authored with my supervisor. At the time, I was new to academic publishing and didn't even know what an APC was.
The journal was not open access by default. During the review process, I asked about a fee waiver, but was told the editors couldn't grant one themselves, and Elsevier declined to approve one.
After acceptance, I was shown a page in the Elsevier system indicating that open access publishing was covered by my institution's agreement. It listed:
- APC: £2,080
- Institutional agreement discount: –£2,080
- To pay (on validation): £0.00
I took a screenshot of this page.
Based on this, I understood that no personal payment was required from me, and that anything further would be handled between Elsevier and my institution during validation. I was not taken through a clear payment step and did not receive what I'd recognise as a normal invoice. The paper was then published.
When this issue first came up, I contacted my (then) university's publication/library team. They said they would handle it, but nothing seems to have happened since. I've since moved to a different university as a postdoc, so I'm also unsure which institution is actually responsible for resolving this.
I've now been contacted by a third-party debt collection agent acting from Romania on behalf of Elsevier, claiming an outstanding balance of £2,080. When I sent them the screenshot, they replied:
**"**Elsevier can confirm that the institution has rejected the article funding during validation"
Their latest email says they've tried to reach me several times and that, unless I call within 48 hours, they will assume I don't intend to resolve the matter voluntarily.
I did not knowingly agree to pay this charge personally. The post-acceptance page clearly showed £0.00 to pay, under my institution's agreement.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? Thanks in advance for any advice.