Well, "tier 2 tech support" still hasn't responded to the forwarded problem. Joy.
In the meantime, I've downloaded
this hotbar modification.
While it doesn't fix the problem altogether, having them fade out while not in use, then fade back in when I'm in combat is pretty nifty. While I haven't tested the combat portion of it, the fact that they're not visible when I'm just navigating helps a lot. However, I will still have to manage the fading problem of the keys while I am in combat.