This should have been fixed a long time ago, completely ruined the game for me. Waiting to play until it's fixed. Anyone know an eta or if they have said anything about it?

Bethesda have never, since their beginnings in 1986, gone back to fix a bug once they finished with a game. They released the current patch for Fallout 3 in July, 2009. The short answer to your question is, "Never."