Charles delay angers faithful
FURIOUS Gold Coast fans of US beauty YouTuber James Charles have vented at having to wait two hours to meet him at his Pacific Fair shop appearance.
The 19-year-old Instagram star was supposed to arrive at 10am for meet and greets with 500 selected fans for a live Q&A at his new Broadbeach pop-up shop Sisters.
Fans were left languishing for hours, prompting many to verbally attack him online but others who stuck it out for his midday arrival said it was worth the wait.
Charles, who arrived on the Gold Coast on Friday, had woken the next morning to thousands of fans attacking him on social media after fellow YouTuber, Tati Westbrook, posted a 38-minute video criticising him.
Charles had endorsed a vitamin company Sleep Vitamins by SugarBearHair at Coachella, a direct competitor of Westbrook’s beauty brand Halo Beauty.
It is understood Charles was late to Pacific Fair because he filmed a response video apologising to fans and Westbrook. He posted it on his YouTube channel at 11am.
Hundreds were said to be lined up waiting for him to arrive from as early as 6am.
“So James Charles showed up late to his Sisters Pop Up store on the Gold Coast,” one person tweeted. “It took him two hours to just show up and do a Q&A for seven minutes.”
Another posted at 11.40am: “And on top off all this James Charles hasn’t bothered to show up to his Gold Coast appearance.”
Charles apologised to his fans upon his arrival – but not everyone was disappointed.
“My 13-year-old granddaughter got up at 4am and was at Pac Fair with her mother by 5.15am and waited patiently in line for a chance to get a meet and greet pass, which she got, much to her delight,” one man wrote on Facebook.
“My wife went back with them at 2(pm) for the meet. She got to chat with him and have her photo taken with him. He was polite, gentle and very sensitive.
“Whinge and whine all you like, but this little event has made our granddaughter’s day in a most positive, exciting way. Thank you James Charles, our girl is over the moon.”
Another person posted her daughter “waited and waited and was super happy to meet him in the end”.
Charles opened his first store on the Coast on May 2.
Shoppers struggling with Pacific Fair departure queues on Saturday also vented online about difficulties leaving car park.
James Charles was contacted for comment.