Ms Milne said the manager still refused to let James into the store despite the different appearances.
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An Australian man with Down syndrome has been refused entry to the store of a large electronics retailer in Brisbane due to a case of mistaken identity.
“When my dad and the manager [were] shown a photo of a white male who also had Down’s syndrome, my dad said it’s clearly not James, who has olive skin, and the manager replied “Well they look the same”.
She said the guard produced his mobile phone and showed her father and the manager a picture of a man, who he believed to be James.
She said repeated requests by the family and the Down Syndrome Association of Queensland for an apology by the manager had been refused.
JB Hi-Fi’s chief executive, Richard Murray, was forced to respond on Tuesday, saying in a statement posted to the retailer’s Facebook page he wanted to apologise unreservedly to James. “We should have done better yesterday”.
“It included the following: ‘I am proud of the staff at our Mt Ommaney store, however there is no doubt the events of yesterday are disappointing.’ Not impressed”.
He said the company would review its policies as a result of the incident and look at offering further training to avoid a similar incident in the future.
“James is a happy, fun-loving guy so this hasn’t dampened his spirit in the slightest, he was being pretty cheeky when the cameras were around”, she said.
JB Hi-Fi apologises for any distress caused to James and his family.We take feedback from our customers very seriously…
We have investigated the incident involving James Milne and his family at our Mount Ommaney store.
Facebook went into overdrive with the post receiving more than 150,000 likes and nearly 100,000 shares by users disgusted at the alleged treatment of James and demanding a response from JB Hi-Fi management. The chief executive of the QDSA, Louise Lloyd, gave a statement in Australia’s ABC report.
“The boy also had Down Syndrome but was clearly not James”, she said.
“JB-Hi-Fi is seeking to make contact with the family involved”.
“No one should be spoken to the way your brother was”, Ashley Doran wrote.
It even attracted the ire of Opposition leader Bill Shorten.
“I was yet to see his (the CEO’s) personal letter of apology to James so he emailed it through”, Ms Milne wrote on Facebook.
“The Wiggles have many fans of all ages and with additional needs”.
He said they would re-examine systems in place to prevent it happening again.
Ms Milne claims Down Syndrome Society Queensland also asked the family to take legal action.
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Investor confidence did not seem to be affected by the highly publicised incident, with the company’s stocks closing 1.41 per cent higher than the previous day.
