diff --git a/mycroft/api/__init__.py b/mycroft/api/__init__.py
index dbd22dde08..91b717ae7c 100644
--- a/mycroft/api/__init__.py
+++ b/mycroft/api/__init__.py
@@ -20,23 +20,23 @@ class Api(object):
         method = params.get("method", "GET")
         headers = self.build_headers(params)
         json = self.build_json(params)
-        query = params.get("query")
+        query = self.build_query(params)
         url = self.build_url(params)
         response = requests.request(method, url, headers=headers, params=query,
                                     data=params.get("data"), json=json)
         return self.get_response(response)
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def get_response(response):
-        try:
-            data = response.json()
-        except:
-            data = response.text
-
+    def get_response(self, response):
+        data = self.get_data(response)
         if 200 <= response.status_code < 300:
             return data
-        else:
-            raise HTTPError(data, response=response)
+        raise HTTPError(data, response=response)
+
+    def get_data(self, response):
+        try:
+            return response.json()
+        except:
+            return response.text
 
     def build_headers(self, params):
         headers = params.get("headers", {})
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ class Api(object):
             params["json"] = json
         return json
 
+    def build_query(self, params):
+        return params.get("query")
+
     def build_url(self, params):
         path = params.get("path", "")
         version = params.get("version", self.version)
diff --git a/mycroft/skills/wolfram_alpha/__init__.py b/mycroft/skills/wolfram_alpha/__init__.py
index c190ea9abe..a7abfb195f 100644
--- a/mycroft/skills/wolfram_alpha/__init__.py
+++ b/mycroft/skills/wolfram_alpha/__init__.py
@@ -75,9 +75,12 @@ class WAApi(Api):
     def __init__(self):
         super(WAApi, self).__init__("wa")
 
+    def get_data(self, response):
+        return response.text
+
     def query(self, input):
-        response = self.request({"query": {"input": input}})
-        return wolframalpha.Result(StringIO(response.content))
+        data = self.request({"query": {"input": input}})
+        return wolframalpha.Result(StringIO(data))
 
 
 class WolframAlphaSkill(MycroftSkill):