When placing an order, you are immediately redirected to 'use first, pay later'. This feature has already been turned off, but it will still be listed as a payment priority option next time you shop. Payment does not require a password, it is easy to accidentally touch it. The 'use first, pay later' method of placing an order for 0 yuan first and making payment after confirming acceptance of the product has quickly become popular, but it has also caused inconvenience to many consumers. From consumer complaint cases and related judicial cases, it can be seen that the phenomenon of "one-step opening and multi-step closing" presented by some platforms' "use first, pay later" has been criticized, which has also led to hidden dangers in advanced consumption and credit consumption. Industry insiders suggest that a collaborative governance system should be established to assist in the standardized and orderly operation of new consumption models, and prevent the "use before pay" from becoming a tool for platform "routine" consumers. The increasing number of "use first, pay later" has become a major complaint area. "When placing an order, there is no need to enter a password, and adults sometimes make mistakes, and children who do not know the characters are even more confused," Ms. Liu from Beijing told reporters. With the booming development of new consumer formats such as e-commerce, "use first, pay later" has rapidly become popular due to its flexibility and convenience. Reporters found that mainstream e-commerce platforms generally support the "use first, pay later" function. However, while this model provides consumers with a trial experience and reduces capital occupation, it also brings risks and hidden dangers, leading to many complaints. The reporter searched on the "Black Cat" complaint platform using the keyword "use first, pay later", and the data showed that there were over 10000 related complaint messages on the platform. Among them, the default activation and deactivation steps, uninformed purchases, difficulty in returning goods, and induced installment payments have become the "hardest hit areas" for complaints. According to the "2024 Double 11 Consumer Rights Protection Public Opinion Analysis Report" by the China Consumers Association, some consumers have reported that during the Double 11 period, the "use before pay" policy was inexplicably activated, and there were repeated deductions. The "2024 Analysis of Complaints Accepted by National Consumers' Associations" released by the China Consumers' Association in February this year also pointed out that there are many hidden dangers of "enjoy first, pay later", and consumers need to guard against hidden "traps". Zhang Tianshu, a police officer from the filing court of the Third Intermediate People's Court of Beijing, told reporters that the number of documents related to "use first, pay later" on China's judicial documents website has been increasing year by year, with a significant increase in 2024 compared to 2023. At present, there may be disputes that have not yet entered the judicial process, and the increasing trend of cases involving 'use first, pay later' should not be underestimated and should be taken seriously. Industry insiders interviewed by reporters said that the frequent chaos and difficulty in protecting consumers' right to know caused by the 'use first, pay later' consumption model, as well as the risks of induced consumption without knowledge and economic overdraft caused by excessive consumption, are worthy of vigilance. After testing multiple e-commerce platforms, reporters found that during the activation process, some platforms set "use first, pay later" as the default recommended or priority option on the payment page. Consumers may also be redirected to place orders while browsing the product details page. Compared with the convenience of opening the process, the operation of closing the process requires multiple steps, including "settings - use first, pay later settings - close use first, pay later", etc. The entrance is more concealed, and it also takes some time to find. This lack of transparency violates consumers' right to know and their right to make independent choices Guo Yaozong, Deputy Director of the Complaints Department of the China Consumers Association, told reporters. It is worth noting that the elderly and underage consumer groups are often more susceptible to influence due to their limited cognitive abilities. According to the publicly available civil judgments on China Judgments Online, many cases involve elderly and minors. According to a case heard by a court in Hunan, the plaintiff claimed that the child placed numerous shopping orders using a shopping app under the principle of "use first, pay later". Among them, two toy cards were ordered without the parents' knowledge, totaling over 800 yuan. Later, the plaintiff applied for a return, but the merchant refused due to card damage. According to a case heard by a court in Beijing, the plaintiff is an elderly person in his 70s who claims that "the platform induced ordering of mobile phones". The elderly person said that the platform advertised a promise of a 0 yuan trial and payment upon satisfaction, but later applied for a return and refund because the phone card slot did not pop up. However, the merchant refused, citing that the phone had already been used and affected secondary sales. Zhang Tianshu stated that the legal relationships involved in "use first, pay later" are complex and diverse. Consumers may need to establish "use first, pay later" service contracts with e-commerce platforms, credit evaluation service contracts with third-party financial institutions, and sales contracts with merchants at the same time. Consumers face multiple transaction rules from multiple commercial entities, thereby assuming more transaction risks. In practice, when consumers sign agreements related to "use before pay" with platforms, they often do not pay much attention to the format terms that have significant interests in themselves, including but not limited to return rules, deduction rules, overdue payment responsibilities, authorization to collect and use personal information, synchronous opening of third-party credit services, etc. In addition, some platforms rarely remind consumers in a prominent way and fully explain the risk consequences to consumers, so consumers have a heavy responsibility to fulfill their obligations. In addition, "if consumers use 'pay before use' without their knowledge, they are likely to incur overdue fees and even credit risks due to failure to repay on time," said Guo Yaozong. In a consumer dispute case previously heard by a court in Sichuan province, which was publicly available on China Judgments Online, a consumer purchased three items through the "use first, pay later" method. However, upon receiving the goods, it was discovered that one item was not properly delivered and the other two items were not delivered. The platform did not handle the undelivered items properly. Due to the failure to actually receive the goods and the consumer's failure to pay the payment on time, the WeChat payment system was triggered to deduct more than 20 credit points, resulting in the platform's forced termination of their "use before pay" rights. The court ultimately ruled to compensate the plaintiff for communication costs of 100 yuan. Consumers are often unaware of credit losses such as credit rating downgrades and equity cancellations beforehand, "said Zhang Tianshu. Zhang Tianshu stated that there are hidden dangers in excessive consumption and credit consumption. In the "use first, pay later" policy, consumers who place orders for zero yuan do not need to occupy funds in advance, which creates an incentive for impulsive consumption and easily overlooks the economic overdraft risk brought about by excessive consumption. In addition, the "use first, pay later" policy is linked to consumers' personal credit evaluation results, but consumers often underestimate the negative credit evaluation that may be caused by default behavior, especially in the "use first, pay later" policy for small, scattered, and daily shopping, and only regret it when their credit is damaged afterwards. Collaborative governance helps standardize the operation of new consumption models. In response to the above phenomena and issues, the reporter contacted some e-commerce platforms for interviews, but these platforms all stated that they are not convenient to respond. As an innovative product of the consumption model nurtured by the platform economy, 'use first, pay later' needs to seek to abandon its advantages and risks in order to promote high-quality development Gong Yongchao, Deputy Chief Judge of the Filing Division of the Third Intermediate People's Court of Beijing, stated. Guo Yaozong believes that e-commerce platforms should protect consumers' right to know and choose, and should not set the "use first, pay later" function as the default check. They need to provide consumers with a one click cancellation or convenient setting entry, simplifying the cancellation steps of the "use first, pay later" function. Strengthen the identity verification and payment security of the "use before pay" function, set up payment reminders, and avoid disputes caused by misoperation. Industry insiders suggest that relevant standards and industry norms should be introduced at the institutional level to strengthen supervision and fundamentally curb the abuse of this technology by platforms. Taking the relevant content on the charging rules of a certain platform's technical service fees obtained by the reporter as an example, the proportion of technical service fees charged for each order of the first use, then pay order is higher than that of other orders. The platform has a technical service fee agreement with merchants. For the platform, 'use first, pay later' orders have higher returns. For merchants, 'use first, pay later' broadens the scope of consumers and enhances their willingness and ability to consume. This is one of the important reasons why the platform has a stronger willingness to promote 'use first, pay later', which leads to the use or even abuse of technological means, causing consumers to be unaware and unwilling to open 'use first, pay later'. "said Zhang Tianshu. Gong Yongchao suggested that e-commerce platforms should reasonably arrange all aspects of consumers' use before pay shopping while respecting their right to know and choose, ensuring the authenticity, comprehensiveness, and accuracy of publicity and promotion, and not containing false, misleading, or deceptive content. Resolutely eliminate the abuse of technological means such as "use first, pay later" and "one-step" opening and "multi-step" closing that infringe on consumers' right to know and choose. Continuously improving the platform's mechanism for handling consumer disputes and complaints, providing consumers with efficient and convenient channels for safeguarding their rights. Guo Yaozong also reminds consumers to be wary of gimmicks such as "zero yuan order" and "free trial". After receiving packages that are not purchased by the consumer, they should check the relevant online shopping platform purchase records in a timely manner. If abnormal transaction orders are found, they can contact the seller to negotiate and handle them, and decide whether to cancel the "use before pay" function according to their own needs. (New Society)