I just received a response to my ticket with a link to this thread.
It stated several things including this:
"We appreciate your patience and understanding while we get this issue resolved with our new Crew mechanic. Please keep your eyes on our forums for further information regarding a resolution to this issue from WGWPaingod and the rest of our Development Team.
Please be aware that this issue will not affect any new Crew Skills/ Perks that you gain, so we ask that you please continue to enjoy World of Tanks and work on gaining your Mastery while we work on the resolution."
So WG knows and we will hear from Pain himself when they have a resolution. We just need a little patience...
Cheers