WCF charset=utf-8 of the response message does not match the content type of the binding (application/soap+xml; charset=utf-8) - wcf

Question

I'm hosting a WCF service in IIS 7.5 using .NET 4.0. I also have a WPF application that I am using as my client that was built with Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4.0. I added my service reference and when I attempt to call a function, I get the following exception
The content type application/xml; charset=utf-8 of the response message does not match the content type of the binding (application/soap+xml; charset=utf-8)
I am able to navigate to the service in a web browser and my bindings appear to be the same between the client and service (WsHttp bindings).
I know there are alot of google results about this error but none of them seemed to be relevant/help my specific problem. I tried installing Non-HTTP Activation features as well as a wide variety of other small tricks. Anybody be able to help? Thanks
edit, here are my configs (they are quite lengthy)
Client
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration>
<system.serviceModel>
<bindings>
<basicHttpBinding>
<binding name="ContentSoap"
closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00" allowCookies="false"
bypassProxyOnLocal="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
maxBufferSize="2147483647" maxBufferPoolSize="2147483647"
maxReceivedMessageSize="2147483647"
messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" transferMode="Buffered"
useDefaultWebProxy="true">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="8192"
maxArrayLength="2147483647"
maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
<security mode="None">
<transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
realm="" />
<message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
</security>
</binding>
<binding name="OrderSoap"
closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00" allowCookies="false"
bypassProxyOnLocal="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
maxBufferSize="65536" maxBufferPoolSize="524288"
maxReceivedMessageSize="65536"
messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" transferMode="Buffered"
useDefaultWebProxy="true">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="8192"
maxArrayLength="16384" maxBytesPerRead="4096"
maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
<security mode="None">
<transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
realm="" />
<message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
</security>
</binding>
</basicHttpBinding>
<netTcpBinding>
<binding name="NetTcpBindingEndpoint" closeTimeout="00:01:00"
openTimeout="00:01:00" receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00"
transactionFlow="false" transferMode="Buffered"
transactionProtocol="OleTransactions"
hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard" listenBacklog="10"
maxBufferPoolSize="2147000000" maxBufferSize="65536" maxConnections="10"
maxReceivedMessageSize="2147000000">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="8192"
maxArrayLength="2147000000" maxBytesPerRead="4096"
maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
<reliableSession ordered="true" inactivityTimeout="00:01:00"
enabled="true" />
<security mode="None">
<transport clientCredentialType="Windows"
protectionLevel="EncryptAndSign" />
<message clientCredentialType="Windows" />
</security>
</binding>
</netTcpBinding>
<wsHttpBinding>
<binding name="WSHttpBinding_IInmateCanteenServiceWeb"
closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00"
bypassProxyOnLocal="false" transactionFlow="false"
hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
maxBufferPoolSize="2147483647" maxReceivedMessageSize="2147483647"
messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" useDefaultWebProxy="true"
allowCookies="false">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="8192"
maxArrayLength="16384" maxBytesPerRead="4096"
maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
<reliableSession ordered="true" inactivityTimeout="00:10:00"
enabled="false" />
<security mode="Transport">
<transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
realm="" />
</security>
</binding>
</wsHttpBinding>
</bindings>
<client>
<endpoint name="ContentSoap"
address="http://media.team.twvending.net/storeservices/content.asmx"
binding="basicHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="ContentSoap"
contract="MediaPortContent.ContentSoap" />
<endpoint name="OrderSoap"
address="http://media.team.twvending.net/storeservices/order.asmx"
binding="basicHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="OrderSoap"
contract="MediaPortOrder.OrderSoap" />
<endpoint name="NetTcpBindingEndpoint"
address="..."
binding="netTcpBinding" bindingConfiguration="NetTcpBindingEndpoint"
contract="WebCallBack.ICallbackService" />
<endpoint name="WSHttpBinding_IInmateCanteenServiceWeb"
address="..."
binding="wsHttpBinding"
bindingConfiguration="WSHttpBinding_IInmateCanteenServiceWeb"
contract="InmateCanteenWeb.IInmateCanteenServiceWeb" />
<endpoint name="WSHttpBinding_ICommAccountingBinding"
address="..."
binding="wsHttpBinding"
bindingConfiguration="WSHttpBinding_IInmateCanteenServiceWeb"
contract="CommAccountingWeb.ICommAccountingWeb" />
</client>
</system.serviceModel>
and Server
<system.serviceModel>
<behaviors>
<endpointBehaviors>
<behavior name="httpBehavior">
<!--<webHttp />-->
</behavior>
</endpointBehaviors>
<serviceBehaviors>
<behavior name="ServiceBehavior">
<serviceCredentials>
<clientCertificate>
<authentication revocationMode="NoCheck" />
</clientCertificate>
<serviceCertificate findValue="CN=secure.inmatecanteen.com" />
</serviceCredentials>
<serviceMetadata httpsGetEnabled="true" />
<serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="true" />
</behavior>
<behavior name="MexBehavior">
<serviceMetadata httpsGetEnabled="true" />
<serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="true" />
</behavior>
<behavior name="HttpMexBehavior">
<serviceMetadata httpsGetEnabled="true" />
<serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="true" />
</behavior>
<behavior name="BasicHttpMexBehavior">
<serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="true" />
<serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="true" />
</behavior>
<behavior name="">
<serviceMetadata httpsGetEnabled="true" />
<serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="true" />
</behavior>
</serviceBehaviors>
</behaviors>
<serviceHostingEnvironment aspNetCompatibilityEnabled="false"
multipleSiteBindingsEnabled="true" />
<bindings>
<wsHttpBinding>
<binding name="myWsHttpBinding" maxBufferPoolSize="2147483647"
maxReceivedMessageSize="2147483647" messageEncoding="Text">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="2147483647"
maxArrayLength="2147483647" maxBytesPerRead="2147483647"
maxNameTableCharCount="2147483647" />
<security mode="Transport">
<transport clientCredentialType="None" />
</security>
</binding>
</wsHttpBinding>
<webHttpBinding>
<binding name="myWebHttpBinding">
<security mode="Transport">
<transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
realm="" />
</security>
</binding>
</webHttpBinding>
<basicHttpBinding>
<binding name="myBasicHttpBinding" maxBufferPoolSize="2147483647"
maxReceivedMessageSize="2147483647">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="2147483647"
maxArrayLength="2147483647" maxBytesPerRead="2147483647"
maxNameTableCharCount="2147483647" />
</binding>
</basicHttpBinding>
</bindings>
<services>
<service name="CommAccountingWeb.CommAccountingWeb"
behaviorConfiguration="HttpMexBehavior">
<endpoint
address=""
behaviorConfiguration="httpBehavior"
binding="webHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="myWebHttpBinding"
contract="CommAccountingWeb.ICommAccountingWeb" />
<endpoint
address="mex"
binding="mexHttpsBinding"
contract="IMetadataExchange" />
<host>
<baseAddresses>
<add baseAddress="..."></add>
</baseAddresses>
</host>
</service>
<service name="CommAccountingWeb.CommAccountingBasic"
behaviorConfiguration="BasicHttpMexBehavior">
<endpoint
address=""
binding="basicHttpBinding"
bindingConfiguration="myBasicHttpBinding"
contract="CommAccountingWeb.ICommAccountingBasic" />
<endpoint
address="mex"
binding="mexHttpBinding"
contract="IMetadataExchange" />
<host>
<baseAddresses>
<add baseAddress="..." />
</baseAddresses>
</host>
</service>
</services>
</system.serviceModel>

Answer 1

As I suspected - your client-side config looks like this:
<endpoint name="WSHttpBinding_ICommAccountingBinding"
address="https://secure.inmatecanteen.com/CommAccountingService/CommAccountingWeb.svc"
binding="wsHttpBinding"
bindingConfiguration="WSHttpBinding_IInmateCanteenServiceWeb"
contract="CommAccountingWeb.ICommAccountingWeb" />
It expects wsHttpBinding - but the server-side address it's connecting to is:
<service name="CommAccountingWeb.CommAccountingWeb"
behaviorConfiguration="HttpMexBehavior">
<endpoint
address=""
behaviorConfiguration="httpBehavior"
binding="webHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="myWebHttpBinding"
contract="CommAccountingWeb.ICommAccountingWeb" />
<host>
<baseAddresses>
<add baseAddress="https://secure.inmatecanteen.com/CommAccountingService/CommAccountingWeb.svc"></add>
</baseAddresses>
</host>
</service>
and this server endpoint uses webHttpBinding.
So while the client expects a SOAP XML message (content type: application/soap+xml; charset=utf-8), the server-side endpoint is a REST endpoint which returns plain XML (content type: application/xml; charset=utf-8)
Solution: you need to make sure both the client and the server endpoint used are in sync with regards to bindings and configuration!

Answer 2

As Steven Westbrook says in a comment on this answer:
Add ?wsdl to your client's endpoint address, and you should have more luck with the service. ?wsdl is important - it means the browser is just getting "Web Services Description Language" for the service, and not calling the service.
I had the same issue and adding ?wsdl solved my headache.

Answer 3

I came across a similar error while creating a client service to one of the existing server side WebService. I could rectify it using SOAP 1.1 transport protocol on the client. Somehow soap 1.2 is giving/expecting a different format. This trace back to the difference between BasicHttpBinding vs WebHttpBinding vs WsHttpBinding.

Answer 4

I got this problem after I added a method that returned a collection of instances of a base class that didn't have a [KnownType] attribute that would resolve to a concrete instance.
With the [KnownType] attribute in place the problem disappeared.
[ServiceContract]
public interface IService {
[OperationContract]
IEnumerable<ItemBase> GetItems();
}
[DataContract]
// [KnownType(typeof(RealItemA))] <--- without these attributes you will get a problem
// [KnownType(typeof(RealItemB))]
public class ItemBase {
}
[DataContract]
public class RealItemA : ItemBase {
}
[DataContract]
public class RealItemB : ITemBase {
}

Answer 5

in my case same error was caused by missing
[datacontract]
[datamember]
attributes in returned data type.
Error message was really misleading.

Answer 6

In my case a specific service was using SOAP 1.1 instead of the usual 1.2.
I had to change the binding from this:
<system.serviceModel>
<bindings>
<customBinding>
<binding name="ServiceSoapBinding">
<textMessageEncoding messageVersion="Soap12"/>
</binding>
</customBinding>
</bindings>
</system.serviceModel>
To this:
<system.serviceModel>
<bindings>
<customBinding>
<binding name="ServiceSoapBinding">
<textMessageEncoding messageVersion="Soap11"/>
</binding>
</customBinding>
</bindings>
</system.serviceModel>