I would love to help you but I'm not very familiar with elgg web services api

Have you worked with other apis? I have and should be able to figure this out but am running into a roadblock. However I need to get it finished. I may need to develop it as my own version of a web services plugin if I cannot determine why the one I installed is not working as it is supposed to.

For something like this you can probably get info by posting in the general forums here. If someone offers to tell you only if you'll pay, send me a message because that's against forum policies.

This has some good info
http://docs.elgg.org/wiki/Web_Services 

I appreciate the responses and I believe the problem has to do with the web services 1.0 plugin maybe I can get an answer in the general forums, I will try.

What I really need is someone familiar with the plug ins and api to let me pay them for a couple hours of their time, but don't bother posting something ridiculous such as 80 dollars an hour like one here already has.

The rates for experienced developers vary from 40 to 100+ dollars, so I don't see anything ridiculous, especially when it comes to such a complex aspect of Elgg as web services.

it seems the problem is not with the web services themselves since I get responses just not the expoected responses and then I find that the tachyon web services apparently uses a depracated feature or access point  and that is why the calls are not working either way the web services are not all that complicated and I am an experienced elgg developer. As such I know anyone charging ridiculous prices are just those trying to make a months salary on a single job that should take a day or two. Greed is not something that looks good on anyone. Trying to defend greed looks even worse.

$80/hour is a very good deal for something like this assuming the dev is adequate, and especially if you're looking to make a mobile client. Worthwhile iOS devs going for $200+ / hour is common.

we already have our ios apps and developer all we need is the api working as it is supposed to. and no we don't pay 80 an hour to the app developer either. just because a few try to charge such exhorbitant rates does not mean that is to be expected or even common. Nor does it mean any intelligent person with any knowledge of the industry would pay it either.