Do skill points from a class mod apply if you haven't activated that skill yet?

Question

I am currently playing as a hunter with a primary focus on gunslinger and I do not have any points in rogue yet. However, I picked up a scavenger class mod that adds:

+3 Team scavenge extra items +2 Swipe skill +2 Ransack skill +3 Out for blood skill

I have yet to spend any points on these skills and I do not want to waste my class mod opportunity. Do these points from this class mod apply when I have to unlock those skills ?

Answer 1

Class Mods take effect as long as you have at least 1 point on that skill.

The points added from the Class Mod can stack to over 5 points adding extra effect. However, certain skills are not really worth putting more than 5 points into, such as Aerial Impact for the Hunter. I mean, whats the point of having an over 100% chance to stun enemies? That's just wasting skill points that could go to something else.

Taken from here.

Answer 2

What am I seeing here? I have no points in the Phoenix skill, which lights me up with fire after a kill. The COM that I have equipped adds +4 points to Phoenix. I kill something and look down to note that I am not affected by Phoenix. I put a point into Phoenix and look down to note that I am now using Phoenix.
If the COM's skill-boost could apply without any skill-points in the skill, I would have been on fire before putting that 1/5 point in.