JB Hi-Fi apologises to man with Down Syndrome following store ban outrage

A woman whose brother was denied access to an Australian electronics store because he has Down Syndrome thinks the manager to be sacked. Victoria Milne said her brother James, 21, was refused entry to JB Hi-Fi at Mount Ommaney because a security guard had mistaken her brother for another person with the genetic disorder who had been banned from the store. She said when her father told the manager the photo of the banned person was not James, he was told “They look the same”.

[The manager] shouldn’t be in that position where he can judge people based on their disability or how they look.

Ms Milne

Ms Milne said the other boy also had Down Syndrome but was clearly not James. “He was white with lighter hair, while James is half-Fijian with olive skin… they clearly weren’t the same person. But they were refused entry.” She said repeated requests by the family and the Down Syndrome Association of Queensland for an apology by the manager were refused. On Tuesday JB Hi-Fi posted an apology on their Facebook page signed by CEO Richard Murray. Ms Milne said the incident had caused the family great distress.

JB Hi-Fi apologises for any distress caused to James and his family. We take feedback from our customers very seriously. We are investigating this matter.

JB Hi-Fi CEO Richard Murray.

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