I guess I am missing what the report looks like now, but as a general answer when I have 'issues' with subtotals (usually due to duplicated data) I create formulae.
the basic idea that I try to follow is to zero out my counter(s) when the group changes, then as the detail is displayed, I increment my counter(s). Finally at the group footer, I display my counter(s).
Shared variables assist in persisting the numbers between detail lines.
And I agree, most help systems aren't worth the time it took someone to create them, much less look at, as they don't clear up anything.
Hope this helps.