You are not alone Mythredor. I felt such a fool when I realised what I had been paying at my "Club" and what I was getting for the money, compared with what was available from places like Toplace. I hope you won't be offended if I say I'm afraid you are wearing a very inferior product and paying through the nose for it. You could have a new system every month just on what you are paying for maintenance (disregarding the initial payment), and you would still have enough money over to go to a fancy salon and get them to cut it in, and be able to take your girlfriend out for beer and a pizza afterwards. AND your girl wouldn't be able to tell you are wearing a piece, because the knots and the base would be invisible. It's only sheer communal madness that allows then to get away with such a difference of both price and quality. Incidentally, I think they know perfectly well what the competition is offering.

In short, I couldn't encourage you strongly enough to ditch that place and come over to DIY. It really isn't that difficult, and I guarantee you that within a week you will have a far better more undetectable hairline than you are currently getting.

To address your questions:

The hairlines do look very natural. The absolute key is to have bleached knots, which you are not getting from your current supplier.

Attaching on your own is fiddly for the first few weeks, and you get the piece on crooked a few times, but it's not that difficult. Within a month it becomes second nature. A key thing is to have a good mirror.

The scalp and crown do look real. Again, if you wear a lace unit the key is bleached knots. Alternatively a skin unit (or a unit with a partially skin base) gives a very good looking scalp.

Matching your color is pretty easy if you can send a small sample of your hair in. I believe they do the matching by machine under a microscope, so it is pretty exact.

Hope this is helpful and encouraging.