diff --git a/owslib/feature/__init__.py b/owslib/feature/__init__.py
index ae15f8d62..84793772c 100644
--- a/owslib/feature/__init__.py
+++ b/owslib/feature/__init__.py
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@
 
 try:
     from urllib import urlencode
+    import urlparse
 except ImportError:
     from urllib.parse import urlencode
+    import urllib.parse as urlparse
 import logging
 from owslib.util import log
 from owslib.feature.schema import get_schema
@@ -121,7 +123,6 @@ def getGETGetFeatureRequest(self, typename=None, filter=None, bbox=None, feature
         storedQueryParams = storedQueryParams or {}
 
         base_url = next((m.get('url') for m in self.getOperationByName('GetFeature').methods if m.get('type').lower() == method.lower()))
-        base_url = base_url if base_url.endswith("?") else base_url+"?"
             
         request = {'service': 'WFS', 'version': self.version, 'request': 'GetFeature'}
         
@@ -131,7 +132,7 @@ def getGETGetFeatureRequest(self, typename=None, filter=None, bbox=None, feature
         elif bbox:
             request['bbox'] = self.getBBOXKVP(bbox,typename)
         elif filter:
-            request['query'] = str(filter)
+            request['filter'] = str(filter)
         if typename:
             typename = [typename] if type(typename) == type("") else typename
             if int(self.version.split('.')[0]) >= 2:
@@ -158,9 +159,12 @@ def getGETGetFeatureRequest(self, typename=None, filter=None, bbox=None, feature
         if outputFormat is not None:
             request["outputFormat"] = outputFormat
 
-        data = urlencode(request, doseq=True)
-
-        return base_url+data
+        url_parts = list(urlparse.urlparse(base_url))
+        query = dict(urlparse.parse_qsl(url_parts[4]))
+        query.update(request)
+        url_parts[4] = urlencode(query, doseq=True)
+        
+        return urlparse.urlunparse(url_parts)
 
 
     def get_schema(self, typename):
@@ -170,4 +174,3 @@ def get_schema(self, typename):
 
         return get_schema(self.url, typename, self.version)
     
-
diff --git a/owslib/feature/wfs200.py b/owslib/feature/wfs200.py
index e52bd558e..ed16ed5c6 100644
--- a/owslib/feature/wfs200.py
+++ b/owslib/feature/wfs200.py
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
 except ImportError:
     from urllib.parse import urlencode
 
+from urllib import unquote_plus
+    
 import logging
 from owslib.util import log
 
@@ -228,7 +230,7 @@ def getfeature(self, typename=None, filter=None, bbox=None, featureid=None,
 
 
         # If method is 'Post', data will be None here
-        u = openURL(url, data, method, timeout=self.timeout,
+        u = openURL(unquote_plus(url), data, method, timeout=self.timeout,
                     username=self.username, password=self.password)
 
         # check for service exceptions, rewrap, and return
diff --git a/owslib/util.py b/owslib/util.py
index b466d650e..2646395d8 100644
--- a/owslib/util.py
+++ b/owslib/util.py
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ def geturl(self):
     # @TODO: __getattribute__ for poking at response
 
 def openURL(url_base, data=None, method='Get', cookies=None, username=None, password=None, timeout=30, headers=None,
-            verify=True, cert=None):
+            verify=False, cert=None):
     """
     Function to open URLs.