did they add national geographic channel to smart pack seems like it.

[pattykay]

That is deceiving the way Dish is listing this on their website and in the channel listings.

No, if you look closer (https://www.mydish.com/upgrades/english-packages/smart-pack or https://www.mydish.com/upgrades/english-packages/welcome-pack), Dish has decided to dynamically include whatever channels are in free preview mode at the time that someone looks at those pages. At least they didn't put

Channels in Free Preview can be found here and are included in the channel listing below​

in fine print. The average person likely won't pay much attention to that but will see channels listed in the grid and (rightfully) presume those channels are included (all the time).

This practice confused the hell out of me last year when the free preview of Weather Nation lasted months longer than it was originally listed for. When the preview (which by that point was no longer listed as a free preview) ended and I lost Weather Nation, I could have sworn that it had previously been listed as part of Welcome Pack, but it was no longer listed there when I went back to check. It is especially confusing because sometimes some of the previews are not listed on the free preview page on the Dish website, or on channel 103 SD. If Dish is going to do this, they should at least make sure that every preview is listed in both of those places at all times.

 

[pattykay]

I have a suggestion for how Dish could reduce the confusion on the package listings on the website. I think the free preview channels should be listed with a red background. (Just like the channels in the All Channels list that we don't receive are listed in red in the guide.) That way, the free preview channels would be color-coded and it would be easier to tell that we shouldn't expect to receive those channels all of the time. Of course, like others have said, it would be even easier if Dish didn't include the free preview channels in the package listings in the first place.

 

[Hall]

Including the free previews in the listings benefits Dish. They hope people read too quickly over the "details" and only see the channels. It's deceptive, nothing more.... If they made them red or pointed them out more clearly, people would probably check the fine print and then see that they don't get those channel full time.

Imagine someone price-shopping and sees the Smart Pack for $35/mo (or whatever it is) and also that it "includes HBO". Compare that to DirecTV and the local cableco, Dish may come out ahead and the person signs up.

 

[pattykay]

Including the free previews in the listings benefits Dish. They hope people read too quickly over the "details" and only see the channels. It's deceptive, nothing more.... If they made them red or pointed them out more clearly, people would probably check the fine print and then see that they don't get those channel full time.

Imagine someone price-shopping and sees the Smart Pack for $35/mo (or whatever it is) and also that it "includes HBO". Compare that to DirecTV and the local cableco, Dish may come out ahead and the person signs up.

Sorry, but as a consumer, I don't care if Dish benefits from listing the channels that way. I only care if my provider (Dish) is being honest with me, and not trying to be deceptive.

 

[dare2be]

There are misleading marketing tactics and then there are downright criminally deceptive actions. This falls with the latter.

No such disclaimer on the Compare Packages page, yet the free previews seem to be included there as well. Wrong.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Sounds like bait and switch. Customer makes the switch to the Smart pack or subs to DISH and that pack because a channel is listed they want and then the freeview goes away and they lose that channel. Bad feelings towards DISH results and then CHURN.