澳洲“先买后付”盛行，老百姓负债累累苦不堪言

Reporter:Jackie first started using “buy now pay later”platforms to purchase bed linen and gifts.

Jackie: I missed a couple of payments and you know got late fees, but thenI had to go to the dentist.

Reporter: She couldn't afford her four and a half thousand dollar bill, soshe took up her dentist's offer to use a “buy now pay later” company. In sixmonths she racked up more than two thousand dollars in late fees.

Jackie: I was able to start paying it, but yeah it just it just got beyondme.

Reporter: Jackie's not alone.

Deb: Usually these products are also on top of a credit card, personal loan,maybe a couple of utility bills or rent, and it's just putting people into adebt spiral.

Reporter: 84% of financial counsellors surveyed said at least half of theirclients have “by now pay later” debt compared to 31% a year ago. More than 60 percentsaid most of those clients are struggling to pay other living expenses. Theyalso found buy now pay later hardship practices of companies like Hum, Zipcoand Afterpay are falling short compared to the big banks.

Deb: You just simply don't have the same protections that you would havewhen using the other products.

Reporter: The industry has defended its hardship programs and says only asmall proportion of its customers miss payments, but financial counselling Australiasays fit for purpose regulation is needed under the national credit code toprotect consumers.

Fiona: You can get “buy now pay later” from just a couple of hundreddollars all the way up to thirty thousand dollars, it's just out of control.

Reporter: Jackie'sdebt is being reviewed by the “buy now pay later” company. Rihanna Whitson, ABCnews.