When bad things happen to good elliptical machines

I've talked before about how the elliptical workout complements running and I have been very happy with my machine, the BH Fitness X1. The only issue I have with the unit is that its heart rate monitor has been completely inaccurate. The people at Fitness Showrooms have been responsive to my complaints and ordered a replacement unit that was installed yesterday. I was very excited to use the unit today but was ultimately disappointed to see that the service tech installed the HRM and display unit off center so that the display is very difficult to read while in use. Well, at least that would be fixable with some adjustments. I was further disappointed when I started using the machine only to see the starting pulse at 175 and the HRM reading out between 190 and 43 throughout my workout. The readings (which did not in any way tie to my level of exertion) jumped around so much it was almost like the monitor was generating random numbers.

I've asked the supplier for a modest refund so I can buy a watch with a built in heart monitor. I'll wait to hear how they respond. In the meantime I'm open to suggestions on who has the best HRM watch for under $100.