Debt Talk: Indebted with buy now pay later products

One of the important changes in the last decade is the rise in the consumption of products and services on Buy Now Pay Later, as many low-income households are using these products to buy household items.

In this month’s Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray discusses ‘Indebted with Buy Now Pay products’. To address this pressing subject, Sean Breen from the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland and Gulsah T from Bromley Citizens Advice Bureaux Limited highlight some of the issues faced by communities struggling with buy-now-pay-later products and services.

Sean Breen, Director of Financial and Postal Service from the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, explains that, based on their research, most consumers are from low-income households. They are already struggling with their finances and must be made aware of the consequences of non-payment, such as not being covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service Compensation Scheme. Many of them are also prone to being attracted to illegal money lenders.

Gulsah T, Head of Advice Services, at Bromley Citizens Advice Bureaux Limited , highlights the changes in the types of clients they see. Where among many debts, they have seen an increase in young people purchasing buy now pay later and how education is crucial in highlighting the cost of default in payment of buy now pay later can be to the individual credit rating and a claim in court since the Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate them.

The next podcast is on ‘Pensioners & winter fuel payment’.

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