‘Check your credit card bills’: Gordie Howe bridge user says he’s been double charged for crossings

A man who made several trips across the Gordie Howe International Bridge during opening week says he was double charged for two of those trips, and he’s encouraging other travelers to check their credit card bills.

Greg Layson made two trips across the bridge on July 29 — one from Windsor to Detroit and one in the opposite direction. He made another trip on the bridge both to and from Detroit on Aug. 2, he said.

“This morning, my wife flagged me, ‘Hey have you checked the Visa? I heard people are getting double charged for some of their trips,’” he said.

“So we went on to our Visa, and sure enough, on July 29 … it appears I was charged twice on the way home that evening on my personal trip.”

A spokesperson for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which oversees the bridge, said nobody was available to talk to CBC about the issue, but they were aware of it.

“We are aware that some customers have reported concerns related to toll transactions,” the bridge authority said in a statement. 

Customer service easy to reach, Layson says

“Our Breakaway Customer Care team is working directly with affected customers to review and resolve these matters on a case-by-case basis. Anyone with questions or concerns about their toll charges is encouraged to contact Breakaway Customer Care at 1-855-200-3299 or email [email protected].”

Customers should call the Breakaway line for all toll-related issues, regardless of whether or not they pertain to discounted Breakaway rates, the bridge authority said.

Layson said he reached out to the bridge authority first thing in the morning and reached a staff person right away, without having to wait on hold.

The staffer asked him for a number of details, including when he crossed, what kind of vehicle he was driving, what his license plate number was and what toll lane he used. 

They then called back asking for a screen shot of the credit card bill.

“I went to go take the screenshot and suddenly, the July 29 charge was no longer there,” he said.

But that was when he discovered he’d also been overcharged on Aug. 2.

“So now I have to reach back out to them again and resolve this issue,” he said.

Layson said he only checked his credit card bill because his wife had heard from a coworker that a friend had been overcharged crossing the bridge. 

“My message is the same message we always hear and most of us ignore,” he said. “Check your credit card bills on a monthly basis or even after a purchase.”